And still the Champion! Monster Energy congratulates MMA athlete Dricus Du Plessis on beating Israel Adesanya to defend the UFC Men’s Middleweight Championship title at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. In the event’s headline fight inside RAC Arena, the 30-year-old from Hatfield, South Africa, earned a stunning submission victory via rear naked choke in the fourth round.
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya was contested in front of 14,150 spectators inside RAC Arena in Perth. In a historic first, the headline fight marked the first UFC championship fight between two African-born fighters. Featuring five fights on the Main Card, UFC 305 was broadcast live on ESPN and Prelims streamed on the ESPN+ platform.
The latest addition to Monster Energy’s MMA athlete roster, Du Plessis (22-2) stepped into the Octagon as the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion. Du Plessis earned the belt by defeating Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January 2024, making history as the first South African to win a UFC championship.
Du Plessis’ opponent in Saturday night’s title defense fight was former two-time UFC Men’s Middleweight Champion Adesanya (24-4). In his most recent fight, the 35-year-old from Lagos had lost the title to Strickland at UFC 293 in October 2023. Now the Nigerian wanted the 185-pound division belt back!
Intent on defeating his UFC championship title, Du Plessis pressured the challenger from the start by combining fierce kicks and explosive strikes. In Round 2, Du Plessis drew on his grappling skills to land an early takedown and proceeded to keep Adesanya on guard with submission attempts.
The third round saw Adesanya firing back with punishing shots to the body, but Du Plessis retained the upper hand by finding openings for targeted strikes that surprised his opponent. The opening of Round 4 saw Adesanya increase the pressure with heavy-handed, dangerous strikes. But ultimately, Du Plessis proved his dominance by finessing a right-hand fist that wobbled the challenger into a quick takedown.
Before Adesanya had a chance to adjust his defenses, Du Plessis secured the back and locked in the rear naked choke. At 3:38 minutes of Round 4, Adesanya tapped out, making Du Plessis the winner by submission in his first successful UFC title defense. It was the first submission loss on Adesanya’s resume.
“I came here to die with this belt. Here I am. And still, baby!” said Monster Energy’s Du Plessis after defending the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 305.
Hailing from South Africa, Du Plessis made his UFC debut in October 2020 at UFC Fight Night 179. Before competing in MMA promotions, the well-rounded fighter earned international titles as an amateur kickboxer. UFC 305 marked his first fight as an official Monster Energy athlete.
What’s next for Du Plessis? According to UFC insiders, the next title defense could feature former champion Strickland as the most likely contender. But even a bout against former title holder Alex Pereira is in the cards. Stay tuned as Du Plessis continues his historic run in the UFC!
Dricus Du Plessis counts amongst Monster Energy’s elite UFC athletes along with Kamaru Usman, Jon Jones, Chris Weidman, Rose Namajunas, Marlon Vera, Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, Yair Rodriguez, Jessica-Rose Clark, Valentina Shevchenko, Brandon Moreno, Daniel Rodriguez, Punahele Soriano, Gilbert Burns, Giga Chikadze, Johnny Walker, Beneil Dariush, Gaston Bolanos, Brendan Allen, Jalin Turner, Sean Strickland, Zhang Weili, Dan Ige, Diego Lopes, Alex Pereira, Daniel Zellhuber, Derrick Lewis, Belal Muhammad, Alexa Grasso, and Cameron Saaiman.
For more on Monster Energy’s MMA athletes, visit www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
