Dricus Du Plessis defied the odds at UFC 291 by not only defeating Robert Whitaker but almost making it look easy. Before that, Whitaker was middleweight Max Holloway: the man who kept knocking out all potential title challengers at the top of the division. Du Plessis, however, cleared the gate, knocking out Whittaker in the second round of their fight.
When the fight began it looked like Whitaker might run off with her. It was sharp and it was fast. He had du Plessis running into his jab, and he would leap forward with powerful, powerful hooks. But Du Plessis continued to attack and throw the ball. He knocked Whitaker out in the first round, bloodying him. He used his size to bully Whitaker, and he obviously took the former.
In the second, he continued his pressure, grabbing “The Reaper” and electrocuting him. After a moment to make sure it wasn’t a trap, he charged “Stillknocks” with murder, picking up a TKO win and title shot against Israel Adesanya.
Watch the highlights and finish of the fight, take care of ESPN:
With this win, Du Plessis moves to 6-0 UFC and 20-2 across mixed martial arts. Whitaker is down to 24-7 and 1-2 over the last three times.
Remember that MMAmania.com You will deliver comprehensive, hit-by-blow live coverage of the entirety UFC 290 fighting card herestarting early ESPN+ Online “Prelims” matches, which are set to start at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard bouts on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 PM ET, prior to the PPV main card’s 10 PM ET start time ESPN+ PPV.
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