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Dricus du Plessis announced the completion of his fight camp for the upcoming title defense against Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis captured the UFC middleweight title by defeating Sean Strickland at UFC 297. He will go into the enemy territory to attempt the first defense of the title as he takes on Adesanya in Perth, Australia at UFC 305 on Aug. 17.
The South African fighter has risen to the top of the UFC middleweight division against all odds, as many had predicted him to lose against his most recent opponents, Strickland and Robert Whittaker.
The Adesanya fight marks one of the biggest challenges of du Plessis' professional MMA career. Recently, 'Stillknocks' took to Instagram and expressed confidence in his ability to "shock the world" once again as he has been "pushed beyond" the limits during the fight camp for UFC 305:
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"And that’s a wrap! I’ve been pushed beyond what seemed as the limit in this camp, even for me who doesn’t even know what giving up means, I faced the darkest places I’ve ever encountered and I started enjoying it more every time. We are ready more than ever, ready to shock the world AGAIN! A massive thank you to my team and everyone involved for getting me ready."
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Check out Dricus du Plessis' post below:
Dricus du Plessis believes he can knock out Israel Adesanya
In one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, Israel Adesanya lost the middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023. Strickland shut down Adesanya's creative striking with simple jab-straight combos and teep kicks. He also scored the only knockdown of the fight and came close to finishing the Nigerian-Kiwi in the first round.
Dricus du Plessis, who captured the middleweight title from Strickland, assessed Strickland's striking power and said that a similar punch from him would finish Adesanya. In a recent interview with Fox Sports, du Plessis said:
"If I landed that shot that Sean Strickland landed, the fight was over right there 100%. We know Strickland is not a power puncher, I felt. Strickland is an incredibly good boxer, boxing is really good. Very awkward... But he doesn't have that power."
Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (14:18):
