5 reasons why Dricus du Plessis will surpass Israel Adesanya

Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya are both tremendously successful MMA fighters, so much so that their respective legacies as the sport's greats would surely be secure even if they were to retire right now. However, when it comes to star power, as of this time, Adesanya has had the lead over du Plessis for several years.

'The Last Stylebender' is beheld as a combat sports megastar. Nevertheless, du Plessis has ascended to superstar status of his own with his impressive performances and deepening connection with the fans over the past few years. So, could du Plessis outdo Adesanya in regard to star power? That's definitely within the realm of possibility!

With Israel Adesanya's comeback at UFC Saudi Arabia and Dricus du Plessis' title rematch at UFC 312 fast approaching, we look at five reasons why du Plessis could surpass Adesanya.

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#5 Dricus du Plessis is sensational on the mic

As of late, a running joke in the MMA community has been about Dricus du Plessis making some of his fiercest rivals, fellow elite fighters, cry on public platforms. 'Stillknocks' has proven that he could be both reactive and proactive with his trash talk, be it on social media or in person.

Ironically, Israel Adesanya himself is no slouch on the microphone, but du Plessis proved himself to be even more savvy in that regard. The South African infamously hit back at Sean Strickland's jibes about him kis*ing his coach by bringing up Strickland's self-admittedly turbulent relationship with his father. Strickland later shed tears during a conversation with Theo Von on the latter's podcast.

After outpointing Strickland and capturing the UFC middleweight title in January 2024, du Plessis' first title defense came against former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. He submitted Adesanya in round four of their grudge match, which was preceded by many months of emotionally charged trash talk on sensitive topics like ethnicity and more. They later buried the hatchet.

During their UFC 305 pre-fight press conference, du Plessis mocked Adesanya's relationship with his dog, something for which 'Izzy' had previously faced criticism. He also joked about the servants that Adesanya supposedly had growing up in a purportedly well-off family in Nigeria.

After Adesanya suggested that he'll reclaim the belt and visit Nigeria, South Africa, and then New Zealand; du Plessis stated:

"Are you taking the servants with you when you're going back? Are you taking the servants with you if you're going back?"

When Adesanya retorted by saying that he had no idea about his story, du Plessis promptly fired back that he didn't care about 'Izzy's' story. Adesanya eventually broke into tears and exploded in a tirade against the seemingly unfazed middleweight kingpin.

Watch the du Plessis-Adesanya press conference segments below (17:45, 19:00, and 22:22):

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#4 Well-rounded MMA skill set

Israel Adesanya has competed in the sports of boxing, kickboxing, and MMA. His kickboxing career, in particular, is well-known, and he's considered one of the best kickboxers to ever compete in MMA. However, Adesanya hasn't displayed the offensive grappling skills inside the octagon thus far.

On the contrary, Dricus du Plessis is widely considered to be a more well-rounded MMA fighter; efficiently mixing his striking and grappling. It could majorly influence how combat sports historians and fans compare their respective legacies in hindsight.

During a recent conversation with fellow ex-UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, Adesanya lightheartedly alluded to an oft-discussed criticism against du Plessis' unusual but effective fighting style. As seen on Whittaker's MMArcade Podcast YouTube channel, jesting about his unconventional striking and overall skill set, Adesanya said:

"He's like the best sh** fighter in the world. He's so good."

Whittaker, who himself lost via TKO to du Plessis in 2023, similarly said:

"I remember when I fought him, in the first 30 seconds, I was like, 'Dude, he's so slow' ... Then I got punched in the face."

Watch Adesanya and Whittaker discuss du Plessis' fighting style below:

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#3 Two-division UFC championship ambitions

Back in 2021, Israel Adesanya moved up in weight in a bid to join the rare club of two-division UFC champions. What made it even more special was that Israel Adesanya was the reigning UFC middleweight champion at that time, so holding another title simultaneously would've added him to an even more exclusive club of elite UFC champions.

However, Adesanya's two-division championship dreams were broken by then-UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, who outpointed the Nigeria-born Kiwi. Adesanya then returned to middleweight, subsequently lost his title to archnemesis Alex Pereira, reclaimed it by beating Pereira, and then lost it to Sean Strickland.

Meanwhile, Dricus du Plessis bested Strickland for the middleweight title and defended it against Adesanya. Moreover, after current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira expressed interest in returning to 185 pounds to dethrone him, du Plessis warned that he'd rather move up in weight and dethrone Pereira. The South African has maintained that he'd like to be a two-division champion.

Meanwhile, since the Blachowicz defeat, Adesanya hasn't seemed too keen about possibly fighting for a title in another weight class. In the long run, this could mean that du Plessis, provided he's successful at capturing championship gold in a division other than middleweight, could outshine 'Izzy' in this aspect.

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#2 The dichotomy in Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis' connection with the MMA fan base

Well, this is where things get even more interesting! Yes, Israel Adesanya is an MMA icon and is beloved by many fans worldwide. Nevertheless, certain sections of the MMA community have often criticized him and been unable to connect with his anime fan-like public persona that some have deemed 'Otaku'-esque.

Adesanya also doesn't usually portray a tough person image as a public personality and oftentimes vocalizes his spiritual side too. Again, some MMA fans have given him a hard time for the same. Add to that his recent losses and comparatively infrequent competition, and the fan support he enjoys appears to have taken a hit in the 2023-2025 timeframe.

On the contrary, those very sections of fans have hailed Dricus du Plessis for being more of a fighter's fighter, so to speak, and less of someone whose persona derives from other pop culture realms like anime or spirituality.

Regardless, it's noteworthy that other MMA fighters like Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson (who loves anime!) and Jiri Prochazka (whose spiritual pursuits are well-known) don't get as much criticism as Adesanya does. As for du Plessis, his simple persona seems to have worked wonders in endearing him to MMA fans.

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#1 Age advantage and wear and tear

Currently, Israel Adesanya is 35 years of age, whereas Dricus du Plessis is 31. When looking at them as civilians rather than combat sportspersons, it may not seem like a significant age gap. Nevertheless, the aforementioned age difference makes a huge difference (no pun intended) in terms of one's athletic career.

The South African has an age advantage over Adesanya. He's already achieved so much in his career and is arguably still in his athletic prime. On the other hand, some of Adesanya's critics have questioned whether his best days as an athlete are behind him.

Another factor at play here is that Adesanya has, presumably, taken way more wear and tear in his combat sports career overall than du Plessis has. He's competed at the highest levels of kickboxing and MMA, accumulating more damage to his body.

Considering the aforementioned variables, it'd be safe to say that du Plessis is in a much better position in his career right now and has a considerable period of time before his athletic prime ends and the wear and tear that comes with a length fighting career gets to him as well. 'Stillknocks' would likely have further strengthened his legacy by then and surpassed Adesanya.