CombatSports.org

submitted by /u/harleybabyy [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

When Israel Adesanya lost in lopsided fashion to Sean Strickland in 2023, it was considered a massive upset at the time.

As the incumbent UFC middleweight champion who’d just vanquished longtime rival Alex Pereira a few months earlier, Adesanya was expected to dispatch Strickland then set up a future showdown against Dricus du Plessis. Instead, Adesanya was dominated for the better part of five rounds and lost his title to Strickland in a shocking unanimous decision.

Knowing he was expected to face the winner, du Plessis watched Strickland vs. Adesanya and was stunned by the result, but he also chalked up Adesanya’s performance to a bad night at the office. His opinion changed rather dramatically, however, after he faced Strickland in a grueling affair back in January, narrowing winning by split decision.

“I’ll be honest, I’ve said it many times in previous interviews where I said I think it was an off night,” du Plessis said of Adesanya’s loss to Strickland during UFC 305 media day. “It was very evident in terms of how he fought, just the whole fight you could see it.

“Then I fought Strickland and my whole perception around that fight changed. Because now I firsthand experienced what it’s like to fight Sean Strickland.”

Spending five rounds against Strickland taught du Plessis a valuable lesson that the Adesanya win wasn’t nearly the upset du Plessis first imagined.

Instead, he came to respect Strickland as an incredibly tough out, but in particular, du Plessis realized that Strickland’s high-pressure, high-volume attack, combined with stifling defense, became a puzzle Adesanya just wasn’t capable of solving.

“[Strickland is] hard to hit,” du Plessis said. “With Izzy, he doesn’t throw volume. He throws strikes, he’s pinpoint accurate with his strikes, or at least he tries to be. He’s more of a move, move, move, hit. When he fought Strickland, he missed all those shots. Strickland is really, really good defensively.

“When I fought Strickland, I immediately realized that’s what happened. I threw volume so I could catch him and I could beat him. But Israel doesn’t throw the volume, so every time he threw, he missed the shot. He missed his shots. He had two, three maximum, and he would miss. Originally I thought Israel had an off night, and then after fighting Strickland and going to watch that fight again, I actually think it was just Strickland doing what he does extremely well and that style didn’t suit Israel at all.”

It remains to be seen if du Plessis can create the same kinds of problems for Adesanya when they fight on Saturday at UFC 305, but he’s obviously anxious to find out.

The matchup against Adesanya is a long time coming, especially with the bad blood the two shared over the past years as du Plessis crept closer and closer to title contention.

While he downplayed the disdain he feels towards Adesanya personally, du Plessis is very excited to put on a show the crowd should enjoy when the main event pops off.

More than anything, du Plessis just wants to compete in fights fans want to see, which is why he’s happy to face Adesanya — and the same goes for anybody else in the middleweight division. That includes a potential rematch against Strickland after UFC CEO Dana White claimed the American will get the next title shot after du Plessis vs. Adesanya.

“I honestly don’t care [who I fight next],” du Plessis said. “I’m here to beat whoever, the fight that people want to see. That’s why this fight is so great for me, that we’re fighting Israel Adesanya, because the most people in the fight world want to see myself versus Israel Adesanya. That’s the fight people want to see.

“At the end of the day, we entertain. We entertain the people. We entertain the crowd and we entertain the people that buy the tickets, that buys the pay-per-views. That’s why they do it, because they want to be entertained.”

The same goes for the highly anticipated matchup between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 in October, with that winner possibly jumping the line for a title shot.

Du Plessis can name good and bad aspects to any potential fight, which is why he leaves it up to the fans and UFC to find his opponents. He just stays ready to knock them down.

“For me, I don’t mind fighting either of those [three], Strickland, Khamzat, or Whittaker,” du Plessis said. “But all three of those fighters have the pros and cons. Actually, fighting Strickland, a lot of people want to see it but it’s a rematch. If that’s the decision of the UFC, great, let’s go for it. Fighting Khamzat, he’s never been beaten, it’s going to be a massive fight just in terms of numbers. Great, let’s do it. Fighting Whittaker, all-time legend Robert Whittaker, but it’s a rematch.

“So there’s pros and cons for any of these three guys. For me, the most important part is fighting the best next guy.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

UFC 305 is almost upon us, and MMA News is here to keep you updated with the current odds for Saturday’s lineup.

The upcoming pay-per-view takes place Saturday, August 17, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT.

Topping the lineup will be reigning UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis, who is tasked with getting the better of returning great Israel Adesanya if he’s to record a first successful title defense and stall the three-time ambitions of the Nigerian-New Zealander.

Before they go to battle, the co-main event will see another two Oceanic fighters in action. Pursuing a win in his home city is Steve Erceg, who competes again three months on from a narrowly failed title bid opposite Alexandre Pantoja. Hoping to send him to a first career skid is Kai Kara-France.

Also set to make the walk on Saturday night will be the likes of lightweight fan favorite Dan Hooker, heavyweight slugger Tai Tuivasa, and returning welterweight Li Jingliang.

Ahead of the event, you can get some help from the group of experts at MMA News by checking out their predictions for the UFC 305 main card here.

UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Betting Odds

Listed below are the latest betting odds for UFC 305 (as of 8/17), courtesy of DraftKings.

Main Card:

• Dricus Du Plessis (-108) vs. Israel Adesanya (-112)
• Kai Kara-France (+185) vs. Steve Erceg (-225)
• Mateusz Gamrot (-410) vs. Dan Hooker (+320)
• Tai Tuivasa (+200) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-245)
• Li Jingliang (+275) vs. Carlos Prates (-345)

Preliminary Card:

• Junior Tafa (-118) vs. Valter Walker (-102)
• Joshua Culibao (-122) vs. Ricardo Ramos (+102)
• Casey O’Neill (+120) vs. Luana Santos (-142)
• Jack Jenkins (-625) vs. Herbert Burns (+455)

Early Preliminary Card:

• Tom Nolan (-1200) vs. Alex Reyes (+750)
• Song Kenan (-218) vs. Ricky Glenn (+180)
• Stewart Nicoll (-205) vs. Jesus Aguilar (+170)

• Read More: Tai Tuivasa Describes Sparring With Alex Pereira Ahead Of UFC 305 Return: ‘Got The Sh*t Punched Out Of Me’

Continue Reading UFC 305 Betting Odds: Current Favorites For Du Plessis vs. Adesanya, Gamrot vs. Hooker, Tuivasa vs. Rozenstruik, & More at MMA News.

MMA News

Ahead of Saturday’s UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya event, the main card fighters too part in the event’s pre-fight press conference in the early morning hours on Friday for fight fans in the U.S.  

The event takes place on Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia and is headlined by a middleweight title bout between champion Dricus Du Plessis and former two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya.

The championship bout will be Du Plessis’ first title defense.  He captured the championship in January by defeating Sean Strickland via split decision in the UFC 297 main event.  Adesanya lost the belt to Strickland in his last outing last September.  UFC CEO Dana White announced earlier this week that Strickland will face the winner of the UFC 305 middleweight title match.

UFC 305 Pre-Fight Press Conference       

MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos

UFC

submitted by /u/harleybabyy [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Watch Craig Jones vs. Gabi Garcia CJI live stream online to see day two of the Craig Jones Invitational on Saturday at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

CJI day two begins at 8 p.m. ET and airs live on MMA Fighting via B-Team Jiu-Jitsu’s YouTube channel. The event features the final rounds of two $ 1 million weight brackets — under 80kg and over 80kg — as well as a pair of grappling superfights, with event organizer Craig Jones taking on IBJJF Hall of Famer Gabi Garcia in a man vs. woman battle, and UFC contender and former ADCC champion Mackenzie Dern meeting former ADCC champion Ffion Davies.

Live video of CJI day two can be watched above.

The updated CJI results for day two can be seen here.

For more on CJI day two, check out MMA Fighting’s live blog of Craig Jones vs. Gabi Garcia.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

UFC

submitted by /u/Hippopotamist [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

MMA Fighting has a live stream watch party for Saturday’s UFC 305 event, which takes place at RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. In the main event, Dricus du Plessis puts his middleweight title on the line for the first time against heated rival, and former two-time champ Israel Adesanya.

Join MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, Conner Burks, and other special guests to watch along with UFC 305 as the main card happens.

In the co-main event, recent flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg faces Kai Kara-France.

In a pivotal lightweight bout, Mateusz Gamrot battles Dan Hooker, while knockout artists Tai Tuivasa and Jairzinho Rozenstruik collide in a heavyweight clash.

The UFC 305 main card opens up with the return of Li Jingliang for the first time since September 2022 as he faces the surging Carlos Prates.

Watch MMA Fighting’s UFC 305 Watch Party beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET / 6:45 p.m. PT.

MMA Fighting – All Posts