Fortunately, Du Plessis’ competitive victory over Strickland created an easy path for this grudge match to finally materialize. Maybe “Stylebender” doesn’t deserve a title shot after sitting on the sidelines following the Strickland defeat, but it’s hard to ignore a narrative like this when it’s so obviously the fight to make. The counters of Adesanya are definitely a concern, but Du Plessis has the option of mixing shots into his offense. That will make it more difficult for Adesanya to feel comfortable planting his feet, particularly if Du Plessis gets some offense off from top position. Similarly, the clinch could be a good path for Du Plessis, as his strength and clubbing shots could be significant as Adesanya moves to escape those close quarters.

Du Plessis is underrated as a tactical fighter. The South African berserker wears his opponents down — or puts them to sleep outright — by pushing a hard pace, attacking all levels, and effectively mixing his wrestling and kickboxing together. The ability to blend the martial arts will be key here. Obviously, Adesanya is the cleaner technical kickboxer, but that doesn’t mean Du Plessis cannot find success on the feet. Du Plessis can land hard by crashing forward with body-head combinations, as well as hiding his entries behind feints and false starts. Establishing the jab to close combinations could be good strategy as well, as Robert Whittaker found success that way opposite Adesanya.

Adesanya is one of the greatest strikers in UFC history. When able to control the distance, Adesanya overwhelms his foes with range offense, forcing them to shell up and nearly accept defeat.For Adesanya, this fight is all about strikes up the middle. Du Plessis’ charge comes straight forward, amplifying the power of his opponent’s intercepting strikes if they’re timed well. Strickland did good work with his snappy jab, and Adesanya should look to do the same. However, “Stylebender” could also find major success with the front kick, body jab, uppercut or knees. In general, it’s imperative that Adesanya slows Du Plessis’ offense. That can be done with attritional damage — low kicks, stabbing teeps, body punches — or with hard counter shots upstairs. Either way, Adesanya has to give “DDP” a lot to think about and prevent the champion’s offense from snowballing as the fight builds on.  Let’s Take look on complete lineup and event detail for UFC 305.