Michael Bisping Predicts a Fierce Israel Adesanya Against Dricus Du Plessis

Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis

Michael Bisping believes that Dricus Du Plessis has ignited a fierce determination in Israel Adesanya. Middleweight champion Du Plessis (21-2) is set to defend his title against former champ Adesanya (24-3) at UFC 305 on August 17 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

The tension between Du Plessis and Adesanya escalated during the UFC 305 press conference, with Du Plessis claiming that Adesanya is "trying to convince himself that he still wants to be here."

“These are harsh words for Israel Adesanya to hear, and that’s going to motivate him big time,” Bisping shared on his YouTube channel. “That’s going to piss him off. That’s going to grind his gears. That’s going to get in his head. That is going to force him to train his ass off, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see one of the most dangerous, nasty versions of Israel Adesanya that we’ve seen.”

Adesanya's resilience was on full display after his TKO loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 281. He rebounded by knocking out Pereira to reclaim his belt at UFC 287. However, he later lost his title in a surprising upset to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.

Bisping notes that Pereira’s subsequent success, including two light heavyweight title defenses, likely weighs heavily on Adesanya.

“Last time he was embarrassed against Alex Pereira, what did he do? He came back and he knocked out Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira – the current bell of the ball, one of the top pound-for-pound fighters, a two-weight champion, and the biggest star in all of mixed martial arts,” Bisping said.

Bisping added,

“That’s another thing: Don’t think that’s not pissing Izzy off, either. Of course, it is. Izzy was the man. Now he’s fallen off. Somebody else has got his belt. His former opponent, his former rival, his former nemesis is now who Izzy was. Everyone’s loving the guy. That is pissing Izzy off, as well. So as I say, I think he’s going to be very, very dangerous.”

With high stakes and heightened emotions, Bisping anticipates that Adesanya will come into the fight with a renewed intensity, ready to prove himself once again.