UFC 305 headliner Israel Adesanya made an emphatic return to the middleweight throne at the expense of a longtime rival in April 2023.
The former two-time champion will return in the main event of this weekend’s pay-per-view card at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, where he’s tasked with regaining the belt once again in a grudge match against Dricus Du Plessis.
Adesanya previously lost and won back the 185-pound strap in a two-fight series with his former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira. After losing two contests to him in the striking-only sport, “The Last Stylebender” fell to 0-3 when “Poatan” rallied to score a fifth-round knockout at the Madison Square Garden-held UFC 281 in November 2022.
But the Nigerian-New Zealander broke his Pereira curse five months later in their second MMA dance at UFC 287 in Miami, brutally knocking the Brazilian out in round two to deliver a highlight for the ages and MMA News’ KO of the Year award for 2023.
Ahead of Saturday’s event, the promotion has released the full Adesanya vs. Pereira rematch fight from UFC 287 on its official YouTube channel.
Adesanya will look to deliver a similar statement-making performance when making his comeback this weekend.
Having had his second reign brought to a shock end at the hands of Sean Strickland last September, “The Last Stylebender” has the chance to show that he’s far from done by adding the first blemish to the currently perfect UFC record of champ Du Plessis.
