Dricus du Plessis retained his UFC Middleweight Championship with a submission victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth.
Wrestling proved the difference as Adesanya dominated striking and looked comfortable in the standup.
However, the South African had the gameplan in place and took his chance to end the bout in a submission.
Dricus du Plessis makes Israel Adesanya tap out in Perth
The opening round was a cagey affair with both fighters trying to get a read on each other.
Adesanya was more precise with striking as the fighters stood up for the entire round.
Du Plessis saw a cut opened on his forehead after collecting a knee from Adesanya.
Still the South African appeared pleased after the round.
In the second round Du Plessis changed things up as he started to get inside and use his wrestling skills.
He shot for five takedowns and managed to take Adesanya away from his base with most of the round on the mat.
Adesanya comes after DDP
Adesanya responded well in the third round as he tagged Du Plessis with some precise striking.
The challenger appeared to be edging ahead after the third round.
Du Plessis’ corner encouraged him to get forward and go after the challenger.
Adesanya kept attacking the body of Du Plessis and managed to avoid getting into the grips of the South African.
Round four proved to be the decisive one and Du Plessis saw his opening when he rocked Adesanya with some great shots.
Du Plessis took down Adesanya and locked in the rear-naked choke giving his opponent no choice but to tap out.
Is the beef settled?
Du Plessis was respectful towards Adesanya after the fight calling him a legend of the Octagon after getting the biggest win of his career to date.
Adesanya made it clear that he is not ready to hang up his gloves just yet insisting that he will ‘fight for his family’ forever.
The result means that Du Plessis might have earned South Africa its very first UFC event. Several venues are vying for the right to host and this win could be big for the sport in Africa.
Who should Dricus du Plessis fight next?
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