While Alexander Volkanovski rates Dricus Du Plessis highly, he believes the South African will be no match for Israel Adesanya when they clash at UFC 305.
The pair of sporting titans will meet in an eagerly-anticipated contest on August 17 inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Alexander Volkanovski expects Israel Adesanya to defeat Dricus Du Plessis
The match-up between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya has caught the imagination of MMA enthusiasts around the globe.
The two middleweight icons have one of the greatest rivalries in the sport today, with both men claiming they can’t wait for the opportunity to get their hands on each other.
The pair have refused to shy away from a war of words, with their press conferences building huge hype for the bout.
While coming into the fight off the back of a loss to Sean Strickland, ‘The Last Stylebender’ is adamant that he’s going to produce a big performance and reclaim the 185-pound throne.
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His palpable confidence has rubbed off on his training partner Alexander Volkanovski, who shares his belief that Du Plessis is in for a rude awakening.
While the former pound-for-pound number one rates the reigning middleweight King highly, he insists that his good friend is going to roll back the years and produce a vintage performance.
In an interview with talkSPORT, ‘The Great’ said: “We’re gonna see him coming back; I think he’s gonna look incredible.
“Dricus is a tough guy, great fighter. But I think this Israel that’s gonna turn up is gonna be one of those — you know, when he comes back and you see a Paulo Costa performance, or even the first Robert Whittaker performance.”
However, while Volkanovski is confident that the New Zealander has what it takes to become a 3x champion, his opponent isn’t so sure.
Dricus Du Plessis questions Israel Adesanya’s hunger
As the great Marvin Hagler once said: “It’s hard to get out of bed in the morning to go for a run when you’re sleeping in silk sheets.”
Thus, with Adesanya having achieved everything he ever dreamed of, Du Plessis is convinced that his nemesis no longer has what it takes to compete at the top.
Following his loss to Strickland, the Nigerian-born athlete took some time out to rediscover himself.
And in a recent interview, his adversary explained that he believes during this period, Adesanya’s hunger evaporated.
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