Alex Volkanovski predicts Israel Adesanya to reach new level against Dricus du Plessis: “A Paulo Costa-type performance"

Israel Adesanya's return to the octagon will come in the shape of a middleweight title fight against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305. The pair are set to headline the pay-per-view card, which will take place in Perth, Australia.

Adesanya was defeated in shocking fashion by Sean Strickland in his previous fight at UFC 293, which saw him lose the middleweight belt. Afterwhich, the two-time champion announced he would be taking a break from fighting to fix several lingering injuries.

Having also competed five times in an eighteen-month period, his impressive strength of schedule warranted a break.

'The Last Stylebender' is now midway through preparing for his return to the UFC, and his teammate and former champion, Alex Volkanovski, recently shared a strong prediction for Adesanya's comeback.

'The Great' believes his teammate will reach new heights against 'Stillknocks', and stated that he expected a performance akin to Adesanya's striking masterclass against Paulo Costa at UFC 253.

He said this:

"I even chatted to [Adesanya] before he started camp, and he was already fired up and on. We're gonna see him coming back, I think he's gonna look incredible. Dricus is a tough guy, great fighter. But I think this Israel that's gonna turn up is gonna be one of those, you know when he comes back and you see a Paul Costa performace, or even the first Robert Whittaker performance. I'm expecting him to come out and have one of those moments."

Watch Volkanovski preview Israel Adesanya's return below (6:15):

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Dan Hooker says Israel Adesanya is bigger and better than ever

Israel Adesanya's hiatus from MMA is set to come to an end against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305.

Their middleweight title clash will provide the pair with the platform to settle their beef, which stems from comments made by Du Plessis about wanting to be the "first real African champion" in the UFC.

With 'The Last Stylebender' having taken an extended break from fighting after losing to Sean Strickland last year, his teammate Dan Hooker has shared an exciting preview of Adesanya's return.

Hooker said this:

"I can't even be bothered sparring [Adesanya] at the moment. I think he's like 105 kilos [230 pounds]. He just kicked me in the leg and I was like, 'Get f**ked.' He's had some time off. He was carrying some injuries, he's still a lot of time just packing on some size and a lot of strength. He's hitting like a truck. He's hitting too hard."

Watch Dan Hooker discuss Israel Adesanya's return below (17:55):