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Dricus du Plessis was the first fighter to defeat Israel Adesanya via submission when he secured a rear-naked choke finish in their clash at UFC 305. The former middleweight champion returned to fighting against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1, where he suffered a sensational KO loss in Round 2.
Imavov is known for his crisp boxing, which he used effectively to land a massive right-hand that dropped 'The Last Stylebender' before finishing the fight with several brutal follow-up punches.
Du Plessis will be in action on Feb. 8 when he faces Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 312 for the middleweight title. Ahead of the bout 'Stillknocks' was interviewed by Sky Sports NZ, where he was asked about Adesanya's recent loss to Imavov.
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He said this:
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"I didn't see that coming. I know Imavov is an incredibly good fighter, I have high praise for his striking and his ability in his last couple of fights to implement his gameplan, he's done a very good job at that. Izzy was looking, he was really looking good. At this level the margin for error is so small and Imavov did what he had to do... The middleweight division is no exciting right now with all the new prospects coming in, it's almost a change of guard, if you will."
Watch Dricus du Plessis discuss Israel Adesanya below (15:45):
Israel Adesanya predicts Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2
UFC 312 will be headlined by a middleweight title rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland. The pair first met at UFC 298, where the South African secured a split-decision win to become the new champion. He successfully defended his title against Israel Adesanya and will now face 'Tarzan' once again.
Ahead of du Plessis vs. Strickland 2, 'The Last Stylebender' was interviewed by MMA Junkie, where he was asked to share his thoughts on the upcoming 185-pound title fight. He said this:
"I say Dricus wins that one if it's close, maybe. Or maybe it's more decisive this time. It's going to be a hard fight for both men, but I think I would give the edge to Dricus in this fight."
Watch Israel Adesanya predict Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2 below (7:30):
