South Africa’s Drisus du Plessis defeated Israel Adesanya via submission to retain his UFC middleweight title.
Adesanya was forced to tap out in submission with his neck locked in a rear-naked choke by Du Plessis in the fourth round of the bout, which was held in Australia, in the early hours of Sunday.
The Nigerian-New Zealander, a former two-time champion, came into the fight determined to reclaim the belt he lost to Sean Strickland in September 2023.
Du Plessis had claimed the belt after defeating Strickland in January, and Adesanya also failed to match the South African’s repertoire of tricks in the ensuing grudge match.
The duo’s rivalry started in 2023 when Du Plessis claimed he wanted to be “the first real African champion” in the UFC.
The comment offended Adesanya, who found it disrespectful to other UFC African champions like himself, Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou.
However, Du Plessis clarified that he aimed to become the first UFC champion to be born in Africa and live and train there.
None of Adesanya, Usman, and Ngannou lived or trained on the continent when they were UFC champions.
The bitterness between the two fighters was apparent throughout the championship bout, which featured a flurry of punches and kicks.
Adesanya drew the first blood of the contest barely minutes into the fight. He opened a fierce cut on the Du Plessis’ forehead with the early momentum.
However, the South African countered later on with his superior grappling skill deep into the bout, and Adesanya’s only response was to tap for the bell as he choked for air.
