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Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis defends his title for the first time this Saturday in the UFC 305 main event against former two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya. Former champion Robert Whittaker will be closely watching the middleweight championship clash.
Whittaker analyzed the matchup and shared his prediction for the outcome on the MMArcade podcast. Having fought both fighters, Whittaker is on the verge of earning another title shot.
“It’s difficult to choose between them,” Whittaker stated. “Looking at their previous fights, in du Plessis’ last fight against Sean Strickland, he displayed forward movement and pressure, shutting down Strickland’s game and earning a decision win.”
Whittaker continued, “Strickland, prior to facing du Plessis, fought Adesanya and employed a similar strategy. He crowded Adesanya, preventing him from utilizing his preferred fighting style. It’s tall, he likes to counter, and move away from strikes. Strickland closed that gap, kept Adesanya’s back against the fence, and won by decision.”
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In his analysis, Whittaker seemed to lean towards the champion retaining his title against Adesanya. The key question is, what has Adesanya done to prevent du Plessis from executing a similar strategy?
“In this fight, we have to consider if du Plessis can implement the same plan that Strickland used against Adesanya. The crucial question is, what has Adesanya done to counter that since the Strickland fight,” Whittaker explained.
“If I had to make a choice, I’d say there’s a 50 percent chance for both fighters. Either Adesanya will utilize his jab and spacing to win by decision, or du Plessis will pressure him, wear him out, and retain his title in a dog fight without a finish.”
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