UFC 305

Israel Adesanya ML (-118)

Izzy's fight game has been a rollercoaster of emotions over the past year and a half. Losing to Alex Pereira by TKO in Nov 22', beating Pereira by TKO in April of 23' and then losing to Sean Stickland via decision in September of 23'. Adesanya hasn't fought in nine months and is looking to reclaim the middle weight title he held for so long.

Adesanya is the best middle weight of all time, and I believe he is still the man to beat at 185 lbs. Prior to his L3 fights where he has been up and down, Izzy was a winner of 11 of his L12 fights and successfully defended his belt 6 times.

I know his recent record isn't great (1-2 in the L3) and he isn't getting any younger (now 35 years old) but, he has owned this division his whole career and showed why he is the middle weight GOAT after his TKO against Pereira. With his chin holding strong and backed up against the cage he threw two big right hooks to knock down Pereira and get the finish.

I think we all can admit he struggled against Strickland and looked downright horrible. Even though he made it all five rounds Strickland put on a striking masterclass against one of the best strikers in the UFC, it was just a complete shock to many UFC fans to see Adesanya get beat that badly.

Israel now faces Dricus Du Plessis who hasn't lost a fight since 2018 and is fresh off a title win against Sean Strickland, the same guy who put on a striking clinic against Izzy. Where Du Plessis lacks in reach (76'' compared to Adesanya at 80", also 6'1'' compared to Izzy at 6'4'') he makes up for in age, at 30 years old, he is five years younger than Adesanya. Not saying these are reasons he will win but bringing up factors that could come into play in the late rounds of this fight.

Although I mentioned that Du Plessis hasn't lost since 2018, he has had just seven fights in the UFC and hasn't faced the toughest of competition. Beating Markus Perez at 12-5, Trevin Giles at 16-6, Brad Tavares at 20-10, Darren Till at 18-5-1, Derek Brunson at 23-9, Robert Whittaker at 27-7 and Sean Strickland at 29-6. While he is younger Izzy is the far more experienced fighter, with more championship rounds under his belt and fiercer opponents faced by a longshot.

Some may argue that Du Plessis shouldn't even have the belt and that he didn't do enough to take it from Strickland after that split decision in January. While I may agree, it is what it is, he is the one holding the belt and the one that will stand in Izzy's way of greatness once again.

Du Plessis is a great fighter (19 finishes out of 21 wins) and will have major success in the UFC in the coming years but Saturday night will be Adesanya's night. I think he saw a fluke during the fight against Strickland and Izzy comes out and shows the world while he is and will always be the GOAT in the middle weight division. The odds are fair in my opinion, if Izzy isn't on his game Du Plessis will eat him alive. GL.