Do or die for Du Plessis and Adesanya

MMA great, Israel Adesanya aims to become a three-time middleweight champion at UFC 305. But standing in his way is South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis who is the reigning world middleweight champion.

Du Plessis will be defending for the first time the title he won against Sean Strickland in January this year. Nigerian born Israel Adesanya has a chance to write his name into history against the South African this weekend.

On Sunday, Du Plessis defends his middleweight title against Adesanya in the main event of UFC 305 in Perth, Western Australia. This is a bout that has been building for over a year with bad blood between the two African born fighters.

Du Plessis and Adesanya have exchanged words over who is the real African. Adesanya was born in Nigeria before his family moved to New Zealand while Du Plessis is South African-born and bred and still fights out of the country.

“I make the crowd make noise and that’s what I’m here to do. I don’t have to make it an ugly fight. I will be making it an ugly fight. I can make it a pretty fight, I’m winning the fight that’s at the end of the day what’s going to happen. And I’m willing to die and take a life for this belt,” says Du Plessis.

Sports Live | Dricus to light up Perth sky:

Du Plessis is trying to establish firm control over the middleweight division but knows that it won’t be easy against the former two-time champion Adesanya.

“It’s a 100% sign of respect in the sense that this man in the octagon, he was there for a reason, so I need to be perfect for this fight like I have been for every other fight. Perfect for that fight to be able to win that fight and that’s why I’m unbeaten in the UFC and that’s going to stay that way because I had the perfect preparation for this fight.”

It’s a fight that looked like it may have been derailed entirely with Adesanya’s shocking upset loss to Sean Strickland last September. But now that Du Plessis is the champion, the matchup is back from the dead.

“He respects what I have done in this game, he respects that I have paved the way for him, and I guess if he has to be perfect, if he feels that way sure but man it’s hard to do that against me. I don’t really need any extra motivation, for me this whole time away was good for me to soul search, find myself and realise that I’m still new at this and I can still get this done but I don’t need any extra-motivation, he is my motivation,” says Adesanya.

If Adesanya wins, he will become the second fighter in history to win an undisputed title in one weight class three times and join Randy Couture in the collective of mixed martial arts greats.

“I don’t really know what’s going to happen after the fight. But all I know is that I’m going to fight a fight of my life this time. The last fight I’m embarrassed even myself because I’m an artist I like to show off that last fight wasn’t really me. I was the most, and still the most active champion in UFC history. He touched another subject because I do this for my family, I do this for the people I love and I will fight you forever I swear to God,” Adesanya adds.

The fight between Du Plessis and Adesanya starts at four o’clock in the morning South African time.