The last time Dricus du Plessis lost a bout was in 2018. Will history repeat itself this Saturday in Perth? At 21-2, Du Plessis has only two losses on his records, and both of them came via a finish. One was a KO loss and the other via submission. Our attention today will be on the KO loss and whether it leaves a blueprint for the ever-dangerous Israel Adesanya.

Dricus du Plessis has five finishes out in the seven UFC fights he has had so far, but can he add another one this weekend? Well, we can’t be sure of anything in an MMA fight, but given the elite striker that Israel Adesanya is, du Plessis may not want to make the same mistake he did when he fought Roberto Soldic for the second time in a welterweight bout.

Roberto Soldic, now fighting under the ONE Championship banner, registered one of his most brutal knockout finishes against Dricus du Plessis back at KSW 45 in 2018. He not only knocked the UFC champion out but also reclaimed his KSW welterweight title in the process. Soldic had lost the previous bout to Du Plessis via knockout, so made sure to return the favor to the South African.

This loss has recently come to trend on social media since the South African is taking up arguably the best striker in UFC middleweight history. But is it really such a bad look for Du Plessis? The champion has finished the likes or Robert Whittaker on his way to the title. Is a loss from 2018 really something to go on about ahead of the title defense at UFC 305? A large section of fans don’t think so, and they have a very good reason why.

After watching the clip, fans made their own analysis of what led to such a KO loss, where Roberto Soldic cornered Dricus du Plessis and knocked him out. For some fans, there were some shady tactics from the Croatian.

Fans cite an illegal move being the reason for the last defeat of Dricus du Plessis

It seems that this post definitely caught the attention of some Israel Adesanya fans, as they believe that a knockout is what we’ll get to see at UFC 305, but of course, for the former 2-time champion. While one fan stated, “I can see this happening Saturday,” another fan said, “Bros going to get KO for the first time since 2018 and we all get to witness it together.” However, the clip of Roberto Soldic knocking out the reigning UFC champion had some fans noticing that the Croatian may have shot an illegal kick to the groin before knocking out du Plessis.“Blatant low blow, that’s not a legit win, just from that clip. I’ll have to see the full fight but that was definitely an illegal strike below the belt,” that fan added.

In their first outing at KSW 43 in April 2018, Du Plessis rallied from behind to finish Soldic in the second round. The Croat had almost earned a stoppage win with a left hook in the first before Du Plessis took the fight to the ground and regained control. In the second round, ‘Stillknocks’ sent ‘Robocop’ down with his own left hand before following up with some ground and pound for a stoppage win. But none of this came up in the online pundits’ discussion.

As some hardcore fans do, one X user analyzed the holes in the game of Dricus du Plessis, and for them, that could be an excellent opening for Israel Adesanya to capitalize on. He said, “Dricus leaves openings for knees to the liver with that high guard when he’s on the defensive. I think Izzy can exploit that with feints.” But those who’ve followed Dricus du Plessis’s fights believe that as a middleweight, he’s much more resilient, and his last fight against Sean Strickland is a great example of that characteristic of his fighting style. “At 170 his chin is a whole lot better now,” another fan added.

However, in the rematch at KSW 45, Soldic used lead leg kicks before going for Du Plessis’s body. Adesanya is a sniper who can spam leg kicks from range and then follow the same game plan the fan suggested. In fact, fellow middleweight Darren Till also suggested knees to the body as an effective tool against the South African.

Some fans believe that Dricus du Plessis’s last defeat should have come in January, earlier this year against Sean Strickland. Even Dana White couldn’t believe that ‘Tarzan’ lost the fight. “He actually lost on January 20th 2024.judges just suck,” that fan stated. Nevertheless, there was still a section of fans backing the South African ace, pointing out Israel Adesanya’s last defeat, which was even more recent than ‘Stillknocks’s. “And the last time Adesanya lost a fight was exactly the last time he fought.”

Given both fighters’ track record, it’s hard to tell who’s heading into the fight with an advantage, Israel Adesanya or Dricus du Plessis. Nevertheless, we would like to hear your thoughts about the middleweight champion’s last loss and how you see the fight going this weekend. Drop your comments below.