Dricus du Plessis successfully defended his UFC middleweight title for the first time, defeating rival Israel Adesanya by submission in the fourth round.
In the UFC 305 main event in Perth on Sunday, Du Plessis from South Africa absorbed numerous body shots over four rounds before securing a rear-naked choke submission against Adesanya to retain his middleweight championship.
Du Plessis (22-2) started strong with early takedowns but had to endure a barrage of strikes from Adesanya in the subsequent rounds. The fight appeared to be taking a toll on the 30-year-old champion as it progressed.
However, in the fourth round, a left hook followed by three right punches dropped Adesanya, creating an opportunity for Du Plessis. He quickly applied a choke hold, forcing the Nigerian-born New Zealander to tap out.
“This man is incredibly resilient,” Du Plessis commented on Adesanya, who was aiming to become a three-time middleweight champion. “I’m still champion, which is fantastic.”
This victory marks Du Plessis`s third consecutive win in middleweight title fights. Earlier this year at UFC 297 in January, he secured the championship with a split decision win against Sean Strickland.
Adesanya (24-4), aged 35, was returning to the Octagon for the first time since losing his middleweight title to Strickland via unanimous decision last September in Sydney. Despite this setback, Adesanya declared that his career is far from over.
“I feel the best I`ve ever felt. I`m 35, and I`m doing everything right. I`m not going anywhere,” he stated.
In an earlier fight, hometown fighter Steve Erceg suffered a first-round technical knockout defeat in his flyweight match against Kai Kara-France of New Zealand.
This was Erceg`s first fight since his unanimous decision loss to champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 in Brazil in May.
