Nigeria-born mixed martial arts fighter Israel Adesanya is the betting favourite in the August 18 face-off against middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.
Despite losing his title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023, Adesanya is favoured to win back his belt, with odds set at -125 compared to Du Plessis’ +102. This means a $100,000 bet on Adesanya would return $80,000, while a $100,000 bet on Du Plessis would return $102,000, as he is the underdog.
This bout marks Du Plessis’ first title defence since a split-decision victory over Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January.
Du Plessis has been an underdog before, notably against Robert Whittaker (+262) and winning despite the odds. His other recent victories include wins over Derek Brunson, Darren Till, and Brad Tavares.
Adesanya, consistently a favourite in his fights, faced an upset at -670 against Strickland but has notable wins over Alex Pereira (-130), Jared Cannonier (-500), and Robert Whittaker (-260).
Fans eagerly await this matchup, with Adesanya aiming to reclaim his title and Du Plessis seeking to prove his championship credentials.
Adesanya, who had teased a potential layoff from the UFC until 2027 at the very earliest following his loss to Strickland, is now, however, returning to the Octagon after a hiatus of less than a year.
It is still his longest ever stretch between UFC fights, and he used the time to heal a few injuries.
