ISRAEL ADESANYA will be keeping a close eye on this weekend’s eagerly anticipated UFC 319 main event.
The Last Stylebender’s old belt will be on the line early on Sunday morning when defending champion Dricus Du Plessis locks horns with the surging Khazmat Chimaev .
Du Plessis has yet to taste defeat inside the octagon since making his debut nearly five years ago and has already banked two title defences.
But the South African slugger is the UNDERDOG going into his clash with Russian wrecking machine Chimaev, who has also run roughshod since making his promotional debut.
Many MMA fans believe this weekend will usher in the Chimaev era at middleweight and be his coronation as one of the faces of the UFC .
Adesanya , 36, was blown away by the Chechen clubber’s brutal blowout victory over fellow former champion Robert Whittaker last October.
But he’s not ruling out the prospect of the highly unorthodox Du Plessis getting the job done, just as he did in their grudge match last August.
In an exclusive interview SunSport, the Nigerian-born New Zealander said: “I think Khamzat showed me why he’s the f***ing animal at 185 with that Rob fight.
“But, DDP [Dricus Du Plessis], finds a way [to win]. He’s so stubborn.
“He’s got strong willpower and he finds a way.”
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Adesanya hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since his second-round TKO loss to surging contender Nassourdine Imamov in February.
Defeat to the Frenchman was the fan favourite’s third in a row, the previous of which came at the hands of Du Plessis and Sean Strickland .
The two-time 185lbs king faced strong calls to retire after his latest loss, but has well and truly shut down the prospect of hanging up his gloves.
And after having some well-deserved R&R, he’s itching to make the walk to the cage again.
Ahead of his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame, Adesanya said: “Oh yeah [the itch has returned].
“I sparred with Kamaru [Usman] in Miami when Volk [Alexander Volkanovski] got his belt back.
“And that was my first sparring back.
“I took some time out to just, you know, chill and let the brain relax.
“And yeah, I just knew straight away. So I’ve been itchy for a while, bro. I’m ready to go!”
