Israel Adesanya claims beating Dricus du Plessis is more important than winning UFC title
UFC star Israel Adesanya has claimed that defeating Dricus du Plessis would mean more to him than winning back the UFC title.
It’s been almost twelve months since we saw Israel Adesanya compete inside the Octagon. On that night, he was defeated by Sean Strickland in a shocking one-sided decision. The American was able to drop ‘Stylebender’ in the first round before going on to dominate him throughout the five-round contest.
Ever since then, Adesanya has made it known that he would take a decent amount of time off before fighting again. He stuck to his word, but now, he’s ready to get back in there. He’ll collide with rival Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 on Saturday night, with his hope being that he can become a three-time middleweight champion.
As we know, there’s a lot of bad blood between these two men. With that in mind, Israel made an interesting remark in the early stages of the UFC 305 Countdown show.
Adesanya’s desire
“Beating Dricus is more important to me than getting the belt back. This fight is about history.”
These two have traded words on more than one occasion. It seems to revolve around the debate about who is a “true” African champion. While du Plessis has attempted to clarify his remarks, it’s clear to see that this has become really personal with Adesanya.
Nobody can know for sure how that will factor into his performance. Perhaps it will hinder him – or, it’ll allow him to put on the best show he ever has.
Who do you believe is more likely to walk out of UFC 305 as UFC middleweight champion – Dricus du Plessis or Israel Adesanya? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!
