In the UFC 305 main event, it’s Dricus du Plessis who comes in with the UFC middleweight title around his waist. But, as has been the case in his last few fights, du Plessis also comes in as the underdog in UFC odds. His upcoming bout is a 185-pound title fight against former champion Israel Adesanya.
Du Plessis opened as a +140 underdog for this fight on DraftKings, though that number began to come down during fight week. Adesanya was as high as a -186 favorite on FanDuel and a -166 favorite on DraftKings. Currently, Adesanya remains the favorite at -120, with du Plessis a more modest +100 underdog in the fight, which will take place Saturday.
Du Plessis unfazed by underdog status
The South African du Plessis is well aware of the pattern oddsmakers have established for his fights. While he said he didn’t quite understand why sportsbooks so often favor his opponents, he said it has worked out well for friends who like to bet on his UFC bouts.
“At the end of the day, you can have all the odds in the world, but there’s no odds fighting a fight,” du Plessis said. “There’s no odds when that door closes. I’ve been the underdog for, especially at the top, for every single fight. … But it doesn’t matter to me. I mean, I know all my friends, they make a lot of money like that, so they’re happy with it.”
Normally, a fighter who’s undefeated in the UFC en route to winning a title will eventually go from habitual underdog to habitual favorite. That hasn’t happened yet for du Plessis, but he said that having the title more than makes up for it.
“I mean being the underdog, that’s great,” du Plessis said. “But it’s going to feel kind of good being the underdog with that nice shiny belt around my shoulder. That always helps.”
Champion has a history as a UFC underdog
While he’s never lost inside the octagon, the champion du Plessis has been consistently underestimated during his time in the UFC. This is the third straight fight he’s entered as a betting underdog. Overall, he’s opened as the underdog in five of his seven UFC fights, all of which he won.
Part of the reason for du Plessis’ habitual underdog status could be stylistic. His striking is often described as awkward, which has led to him being underrated by fans throughout his rise to the title.
But that same awkward style has also proven difficult for opponents to adjust to. That was the case in du Plessis’ biggest upset so far, when he came in as a +300 underdog against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 last summer.
Whittaker had never lost a non-title bout at middleweight in the UFC, but he struggled to adjust to du Plessis’ stance-shifting striking style and suffered a second-round TKO loss. That victory propelled du Plessis into a middleweight title bout against then-champ Sean Strickland, whom he beat via split decision after opening as a +130 underdog.
How to watch UFC 305
- Early prelims — Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN+
- Prelims — 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+
- Main card — 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ pay-per-view
