UFC 305 Mailbag: Dricus du Plessis & Perth Highlights

UFC 305 is in the books and the champion remains Dricus du Plessis.

In classic DDP form, the champion retained his title with a fourth-round submission that left many fans frustrated by how a fighter who appears to be so flawed can nonetheless be the best in the world. But like him or not, du Plessis is the king of the mountain at 185 pounds, with three straight wins over former UFC champions. It’s his world and we’re just living in it, so let’s talk about the fallout from UFC 305.

Dricus du Plessis

“DDP: The best worst fighter ever or the worst best fighter ever?”

In the famous words of Old El Paso: ¿Por qué no los dos?

As one of the leading drivers of the DDP bandwagon over the past few years, this weekend was delicious, not because he won, but because he won while being completely true to form. There are a bunch of very smart people who I respect that insist du Plessis is not good, and seeing him break everyone’s brains by winning what should be a terrible matchup — and doing so in classic DDP fashion — is so fun. Because I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t love du Plessis in spite of his flaws, you love him because of them.

Here is an objective fact: du Plessis is 8-0 in the UFC with six stoppages, including over the two greatest middleweights of this era, and three straight victories over former champions. Here is a subjective fact: he’s looked ugly as hell in all of those fights, which is why despite the results, there are still many smart people who refuse to respect him. And they’re not entirely wrong! Du Plessis is both unequivocally excellent and obviously deeply flawed. You would never teach someone to fight like him, and yet it undeniably works. He’s Schrödinger’s MMA fighter and I love him dearly.

The reality is, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. You know what they call a guy who wins ugly? A winner. Doesn’t matter how he does it or what it looks like, du Plessis gets the job done. And honestly, skill is overrated in fighting. Sure, it’s good to have and it can absolutely make the difference between evenly matched competitors, but it’s not the be-all and end-all. A lot of the time, fighting is just about being a unit. That’s why, for as much as we love him, Demetrious Johnson would get obliterated by Tai Tuivasa. Being bigger and stronger than your opponent has been the backbone of fighting since the stone age, and DDP has that in spades.

Now, that’s not to say it’s all the champ has. Aside from being a hoss, du Plessis is also extremely durable, loaded with grit, and has a terrific mind for the sport, all of which makes him a handful. The last bit is the most important part though. Despite not hailing from a big gym, du Plessis and his camp have pretty firmly established themselves as elite game-planners, tailoring specific tactics and strategies for each opponent. Against Adesanya, DDP knew exactly how Izzy would approach the fight — and how to take advantage of it — and it played out exactly like that. When you’re that smart about fighting and a physical monster, it’s OK that not everything you throw is textbook.

Ultimately, flaws are only flaws if other fighters can take advantage of them, and thus far, no one in the UFC has for DDP. Could someone do so in the future? Sure, but I won’t be picking against him for the foreseeable future.

Future challengers

“Which middleweight currently represents the biggest challenger to DDP?”

Well, for all intents and purposes it appears that Sean Strickland will get the next shot at du Plessis. The next challenger is always the biggest threat given how close their first fight was.

That being said if Strickland beats du Plessis it’ll likely be a classic Strickland split decision – not really fun but just a matter of judges on the night.

If we’re talking about someone who can really take the belt off du Plessis it’s Khamzat Chimaev.

As mentioned above du Plessis combines brains and brawn making him hard to reckon with.

To beat him you either need a defensive style to outwork him without letting him hulk you (Strickland) or meet him head-on with force.

Adesanya tried at points but couldn’t manage (because again dude is a HOSS). But Chimaev might.

And that’s only a might; I’d still pick du Plessis in that fight.

But if there’s someone who can simply out-physical him… DDP doesn’t exactly have tools to manage that.

Beyond that you’re looking at Bo Nickal – he’s far from this conversation right now.

All-Stars

MMA nirvana

Alex Pereira

Pereira would boop DDP violently up at light heavyweight but cutting down to 185? It’s 50/50.

Cutting weight diminishes you – not confident drained Pereira stops DDP takedowns.

Does this free Izzy up for REAL move to 205?
Fight top contender legit like Alex did….thinking Izzy Jiri b/c who wouldn’t pay all moneys?
Tbh…..Conor Chandler co-main?
Guys making big $ no points?

“Does this free Izzy up for REAL move to 205? Fight top contender legit like Alex did….thinking Izzy Jiri b/c who wouldn’t pay all moneys?”

After UFC305 thought Adesanya would use chance move up light heavyweight permanently final act career; then post-fight presser said didn’t want that.

Moving up seems unlikely now.

That said fighting Jiri still possible – Prochazka’s coach suggested middleweight drop for Jiri; if happens matchup makes sense.

Adesanya’s next opponent depends on timing & future fights outcome.

If Robert Whittaker beats Khamzat Chimaev Adesanya vs Chimaev makes sense; similarly Kevin Holland beats Roman Dolidze same logic applies.

KKF-Pantoja happening next & who wins?

“KKF-Pantoja happening next & who wins?”

Kai Kara-France stopped losing streak co-main event UFC305 first-round stoppage Steve Erceg – called flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja shot after return form performance.

Will he get shot?

Seems likely!

Flyweight division weird spot now Pantoja beaten most top contenders rest blocked somehow.

Amir Albazi chronically injured Tatsuro Taira booked Muhammad Mokaev gone UFC disliked him – should’ve been next complete no-go now.

Controversy