In the often conventional world of mixed martial arts, Dricus Du Plessis stands out as a true anomaly. His unorthodox style has sparked countless reactions from MMA media, with some hilariously describing it as a blend of “schoolyard bully spazzy arm-swinging” and relentless cardio. Others joke about his seemingly impenetrable “plot armor,” a nod to his uncanny ability to push through adversity and find victory. Yet, no matter how unconventional his approach may seem, one thing is undeniable—it works.

Moreover, the way his UFC 297 main event ended left people in the MMA community a bit perplexed. That may have a lot to do with how Du Plessis operates inside the Octagon. While the current 185lbs kingpin earned a split decision victory, a lot of people were leaning towards Sean Strickland as the victor that night, which also included Dana White. White said at the UFC 297 post-fight press conference. “I had it 2-2 going into the last round and I thought that Strickland won the last round. Guys who were sitting at the same table had it the other way. It was a close fight.”

So the question is, how will the South African fare in the rematch with his brand of style? While both headliners are looking to silence their doubters and come out on top, former 2-time champion Israel Adesanya has made up his mind on who’s crossing the finish line this weekend. Izzy has fought and lost to both Strickland and Du Plessis, so who better to give us an analysis of the upcoming middleweight title fight than ‘The Last Stylebender’ himself?

The Nigerian-born star claims that both of his former rivals have their strengths, but he suggests Strickland sticks to his defensive strategy because he could get overwhelmed by the South African, who is currently on a run of a lifetime. “It’s going to be Dricus doing what he does and Strickland might wrestle better, but he’s not going to initiate it,” Israel Adesanya stated on his YouTube channel. “If he [Strickland] can have his defense on point, he might be able to beat Dricus. But I just think Dricus is too tough right now.”

But despite suffering an upset loss against Strickland, who dominated him the whole 25 minutes at UFC 293, Adesanya believes that it’s Dricus who’s going to emerge as the victor this weekend. ‘Stillknocks’s style is just hard to comprehend, according to ‘Izzy’, since he fights like a man on a mission with perhaps the most unorthodox style ever.

That’s going to work in the South African star’s favor, even though people don’t really give him the credit he deserves. “I think Dricus is gonna win. He is going to do it the way he does it, which is just be stubborn and take him down and try and beat Strickland up,” Adesanya added. “But if Strickland can stop the takedowns, then he’ll be fine. But I’m gonna go Dricus, though.”

Dricus Du Plessis has even intrigued one of the best strikers in the game, Stephen Thompson, who just cannot seem to grasp the fact that despite having a style that makes him look like a beginner, the South African still manages to prevail. As we all know, Strickland will have Alex Pereira in his corner and he had been training with the Brazilian for this fight.

But what he needs to focus on is the avoid the takedowns from Du Plessis, something that even Adesanya pointed out. When the veteran 170lbs contender assessed the first encounter between ‘DDP’ and Strickland, he noticed that even though the former champion was getting the better of him, Du Plessis was successful in tiring out Strickland, which worked in his favor even though he wasn’t as clinical with his strikes unlike ‘Tarzan’.

“[Dricus] du Plessis, how does he keep winning this guy? Dude, I went back and watched the first fight cause I did a breakdown of that. I think it goes the same route. I know [Sean] Strickland’s been training with Alex Pereira but it’s not just striking, du Plessis beat him with the takedowns,” ‘Wonderboy’ stated on the OverDogs Podcast.

“Yes, Strickland kept getting back up but it wore him and it made him tired. It fatigued him in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds, which is why he kept getting pieced up, which is wild to me. He does like so many things wrong. But then he just ends up winning it, right?”

Meanwhile, the praise for Dricus Du Plessis’ fighting style isn’t just limited to Israel Adesanya’s recent YouTube video. Less than a month ago, the former 2-time champion collaborated with fellow former champ, Robert Whittaker, as they offered their takes on the South African star’s unique style.

Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya speak about the experience of fighting Dricus Du Plessis

Recently, Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya shared their experience of fighting Dricus Du Plessis, with both of them agreeing that the middleweight champ’s style is a bit “weird.” ‘The Reaper’ claimed that it’s hard to judge Du Plessis because one moment he looks like he’s moving slowly and the next moment he’d hit him with a real hard strike. But what got the internet fandom talking is Adesanya’s hysterical admission of how ‘Stillknocks’ can derail his opponent’s moment as they start to build it during the fight.

“I remember when I sprawled on him, like, head hit the mat and I tried to kick him on the ground and I was like, ‘Get up!’ I advanced and straight away he just went [imitates ‘DDP’ throwing recalculated strikes], and I had to stop,” said Israel Adesanya. “So I stopped my momentum and I had to reset. So he’s just weird. He’s like the best sh-t fighter in the world.”

Despite the lack of proper technique, something that Sean Strickland is good at, Israel Adesanya still sees Dricus Du Plessis successfully defending his title at UFC 312 this weekend. But do you agree with the former 2-time champion’s assessment? Let us know in the comments down below.