Israel Adesanya gives final prediction for Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland title fight at UFC 312: "It's going to be a hard fight for both men"

Israel Adesanya believes that the upcoming Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland middleweight title fight at UFC 312 on Feb. 9 will be a competitive bout. In short, he sees it resembling the pair's first encounter, which saw the South African capture 185-pound gold via split decision.

'The Last Stylebender' had a recent sitdown with MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn, during which he touched on numerous topics. Among them was the UFC 312 headliner, which he believes will ultimately be won by du Plessis, though not without significant effort on his part.

"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."

Check out Israel Adesanya's prediction for Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2 (7:33):

It isn't an unreasonable prediction on Adesanya's part. After all, du Plessis did defeat Strickland in their first encounter at UFC 297, no matter how close it was. Moreover, the South African star is riding the momentum of a lengthy win streak, as he remains undefeated in the UFC middleweight division.

Meanwhile, Strickland has scored just one win since his loss to du Plessis, defeating former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa at UFC 302. Despite the specter of Khamzat Chimaev looming over the division, the most important fight for the time being is the du Plessis vs. Strickland rematch.

As for 'The Last Stylebender,' he will face Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250 on Feb. 1.

---

Israel Adesanya has experience fighting against both men

Israel Adesanya fought Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland back-to-back. He first clashed with Strickland in a bout that turned out to be the biggest middleweight upset in history, with Strickland dominating the fight en route to a unanimous decision victory to capture 185-pound gold at UFC 293.

Check out Dricus du Plessis finishing Israel Adesanya:

His matchup with du Plessis was far more competitive but did not end with a decision. The South African ultimately submitted him in round four of their clash at UFC 305.