Which are Adesanya and Du Plessis’ records and stats in the UFC?

The UFC returns to Australia with a huge event. Israel Adesanya will try to regain the middleweight crown he lost almost a year ago to Sean Strickland.

He will face the same man who took the belt from the American, Dricus du Plessis. The Pretoria native became the first South African to become UFC champion and will make his first defense against one of the company’s icons, The Last Stylebender, who returns to the cage after taking some time off.

The co-main event will feature Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg in a fight where fireworks are expected.

Adesanya vs Du Plessis: records and stats

Dricus ‘Still Knocks’ du Plessis: 21-2-0

Dricus du Plessis is one of those fighters who gets the job done without making much noise. The South African debuted in the UFC in October 2020 and hasn’t lost a fight ever since.

Five of his seven fights in the company didn’t go the distance. With such a winning streak, it wasn’t strange he got a title shot. He already did a face-off with Adesanya after one of his victories, with both men challenging each other.

Izzy lost the belt to Sean Strickland and Du Plessis faced the American. The South African won by a close split decision in an unconvincing win, so a rematch was a real possibility. Although Dricus is willing to take on the American again, he said the UFC preferred to put him against Adesanya in a more attractive clash for the fans.

Israel ‘The Last Stylebender’ Adesanya: 24-3-0

Israel Adesanya is one of the historic fighters of the UFC. The New Zealander of Nigerian origin established himself as one of the company’s most solid champions in the middleweight division.

He cleaned the division, defeating everyone. In April 2019, Izzy beat Kelvin Gastelum in a unanimous decision victory and became the category’s interim champion. The jackpot came six months later. He knocked out Robert Whittaker in the second round and took the undisputed crown, getting the Performance of the Night bonus too.

However, his problems began when Alex Pereira arrived at the company. The Brazilian had already beaten him twice in kickboxing, and their third fight, this time in the UFC, had the same outcome. He dethroned the champion by TKO in the fifth round in a close contest. But five months later, Adesanya got his revenge. He knocked out Poatan in the second round to take the belt back from the South American fighter.

In his next title defense, he was outpointed by Sean Strickland and decided to step away from the octagon for a while. Now, he’s back.