Alexander Volkanovski is expecting something spectacular when Israel Adesanya makes his return to the Octagon.
Emanating from RAC Arena in Perth, UFC 305 will feature a massive main event as ‘The Last Stylebender’ looks to become the first three-time middleweight world champion. Standing in his way will be current 185-pound titleholder Dricus Du Plessis who will be seeking his first successful defense since taking the title off Sean Strickland in January.
Breaking down their clash on his YouTube channel, Volkanovski believes Adesanya will find a way to handle Du Plessis’ awkward style of fighting—something he failed to do against Strickland.
“I’m expecting a performance from Israel Adesanya, a proper performance like you’ve seen [in] the Paulo Costa [fight] where he goes out and just does it in impressive fashion,” Volkanovski said. “Dricus is very awkward, unorthodox and he’s got awkward pressure, which is very hard for people to deal with, and we’ve seen awkward pressure from Strickland give Izzy problems, but that doesn’t happen to Izzy twice.”
In fact, ‘The Great’ sees Adesanya scoring some kind of “crazy” finish against Du Plessis. Still, Volkanovski recognizes that ‘Stillknocks’ poses a real threat to the style and implored Adesanya to exercise caution if he hopes to leave The Land Down Under with UFC gold wrapped around his waist once again.
“I don’t think there’s any surprises this time… He’s going to be ready,” Volkanovski continued. “I think Israel Adesanya is going to put on that type of performance where he gets a crazy finish and that’s saying something because Dricus is no joke. Izzy has to be careful of Dricus trying to take him down because I reckon, he’s going to have that freakish strength, he’s got good D’Arces and good chokes as well so you’re going to have to be careful.”
Though Adesanya is not necessarily known as a finisher—putting away just five of his 13 opponents inside the distance—the ‘Stylebender’ has more than proven his ability to land a knockout blow, as evidenced by his victories over Alex Pereira, Paulo Costa, and Robert Whittaker.
“I feel like something big is coming, I mean a big finish—highlight real Izzy… That type of finish that we’re going to see, which is going to be huge and puts him right back where he was not that long ago,” Volkanovski said.
Israel Adesanya Shows Off Shredded Physique Ahead of UFC 305
Ahead of his return to the Octagon on Saturday night (Sunday in Australia), Adesanya appears to have packed on some serious muscle, as evidenced by a recent post on the former two-time titleholder’s Instagram.
Nearly a year removed from his lackluster performance against Strickland at UFC 293, Adesanya certainly appears to have a fire lit under him and is ready to remind the world what he’s capable of.
“At the moment what is fuelling me is pretty much just showing myself off,” Adesanya told MMA Junkie. “I am an entertainer. I am a performer. I am a guy that goes in and gets the job done. When I don’t do that, it irks me. The last outing for me wasn’t really me, so I just want to go off and show who I am. Not really to anyone. Just prove to myself that I am still that dude. And I know that I am. I trust me.”
Watch Volkanovski’s full breakdown below:
