Dricus du Plessis delivered an upset TKO win over Robert Whittaker tonight at UFC 290 to secure a middlweight title fight against Israel Adesanya.
Round One:
Low kicks exchanged to start. One-two for Whittaker and then a leg kick. Du Plessis with a leg kick.
Whittaker lands a kick to the thigh and Du Plessis responds with a kick too. Leg kick and a jab for Whittaker then follows up with a right hand.
Missed kick from Du Plessis. Punch for Whittaker. Whhittaker gets through Du Plessis’ guard with a jab.
Oblique kick for Whittaker and then ducks under for a takedown attempt and lands it. Du Plessis trying to work for a guillotine and then manages to find his way back up.
Front kick to the body and a punch from Whittaker, but du Plessis threatens with a counter.
Front kick to the body from Whittaker is almost caught and then du Plessis lands his own kick and presses forward aggressively.
Both exchanging strikes in close. Jab from Whittaker and body kick from du Plessis.
In close du Plessis manages to muscle Whittaker to the mat with a headlock. Du Plessis thinking about a d’arce but then is working ground-and-pound now and Whittaker has a cut.
Du Plessis with the d’arce attempt again, then back to ground-and-pound landing hard blows. Whittaker has a nasty cut on the outside of his right eyebrow.
Round Two:
Whittaker with straight punches that come off the guard. Leg kick for du Plessis. Punch and a head kick behind it from Whittaker is blocked.
Straight right from Whittaker but du Plessis guard is high. Hard punch from du Plessis. Jab lands for him and then looks for the left behind it.
Short flurry from Whittaker. Jabs for Whittaker. Now a punch and head kick attempt that’s blocked. Left hook for Whittaker. Now a low kick.
Back to the jab for Whittaker now. Du Plessis with a right hand and Whittaker is hurt and goes forward to his knees. Du Plessis doesn’t follow him though and so he gets back up looking woozy.
Du Plessis back on the offensive now and Whittaker is struggling to get his bearings. Du Plessis has him backed up against the cage and unleashes a flurry of strikes to the head and body that sinks Whittaker to the canvas.
He’s covering up as du Plessis rains down more blows and that’s it, Du Plessis with a huge TKO victory at 2.32mins of the 2nd round to set up a blockbuster middleweight title fight against Israel Adesanya!
