Last September, Israel Adesanya lost the UFC middleweight title with a decision loss to Sean Strickland. He was one of the biggest surprises of 2023.
This Saturday, in the main event of UFC 305, Adesanya will look to regain his title when he faces new champion Dricus Du Plessis.
Ahead of the card, South African Du Plessis gave his take on why Adesanya lost to Strickland last year. Having won the belt with a decision win over Strickland earlier this year, the champion is better placed than most to comment on last year’s shock defeat.
“I think it was a bad night,” Du Plessis said at UFC 305’s pre-fight media day this week (via MMA addict). “It was very evident in terms of how he fought, you could see it throughout the entire fight.
“Then I fought Strickland and my whole perception of that fight changed because I know firsthand what it’s like to fight Sean Strickland,” he continued. “He’s hard to hit. With Izzy, he doesn’t throw a lot of volume. He’s very precise with his punches, or at least he tries to be. It’s more move-move-move-punch. And when he fought Strickland, he missed all those punches.”
“Strickland is actually very good defensively. When I fought Strickland, I immediately realized that that was what was happening. I threw a lot so I could catch him and beat him. But Israel doesn’t throw a lot, so every time he threw, he missed. He had two, three at most, and he missed. At first, I thought Israel had a bad night, and then after fighting Strickland and rewatching that fight, I actually think it was just Strickland doing what he does extremely well, and that style didn’t suit Israel at all.”
The fight with Adesanya will mark Du Plessis’ first attempt at defending his title. The winner of the UFC 305 fight is expected to face Strickland next, according to the company’s CEO Dana White.
