Israel Adesanya Shares Shocking Prediction For UFC 297 Main Event Title Fight

Adesanya makes his pick.

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has shared his prediction for the UFC 297 main event title fight between champion Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.

Strickland defeated Adesanya to become the 185-pound ruler, and now he is looking for his first successful UFC title defense. Many are split on this matchup between Strickland and Du Plessis. Strickland is the slight -130 favorite, while Du Plessis is the +110 underdog, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Adesanya knows what it's like to mix it up with Strickland. He took to his YouTube channel to reveal that one key aspect Dricus Du Plessis will need to keep in mind is the jab of Sean Strickland.

"Dricus is gonna try and wrestle him," Adesanya said. "Well, stand up in the beginning, of course, yeah. Do his offbeat rhythm, all that kind of stuff, but the problem is he might get jabbed by Sean the first round and then really have to really switch to the grappling 'cause Sean's jab is underrated."

With that said, "Izzy" knows that "DDP" has developed a reputation for having an awkward fighting style that could benefit him in the title bout.

"Dricus is just weird," Adesanya said. "He's just weird. The way he strikes is so ugly when it's effective."

It's a close one to call, but ultimately, Adesanya will not be sticking with the devil he knows. Instead, he's looked into his crystal ball and is predicting a new UFC middleweight champion this weekend.

"Official pick, I'm gonna go with Dricus," Adesanya said. "Does it go the distance? I'm gonna say no. Not that I don't respect Sean or his skills. Guy beat me, so of course I respect his skills."

The method Israel Adesanya is picking Du Plessis to dethrone Strickland may surprise you.

"I say sub," Adesanya said. "He'll submit him."

Here's the full video of Israel Adesanya breaking down the UFC 297 card:

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