Tom Aspinall hails Dricus Du Plessis as 'one of the smartest fighters in the UFC' after retaining his title down under
19/08/2024 12:09
Tom Aspinall is widely considered to be one of the smartest fighters in the UFC entire roster, certainly the smartest in the heavyweight division, so for DDP to receive this type of praise from the English juggernaut is nothing short of sensational – and entirely well-deserved.
'And Still'-Knocks reigns supreme as Dricus Du Plessis submits former champ Israel Adesanya in Australia to retain his middleweight title – and it's safe to say that fellow UFC fighters are enamored with the South African's performance at the RAC Arena.
Tom Aspinall reacts to UFC 305 and Dricus Du Plessis' submission win
Breaking down the main card of UFC 305 via his official YouTube channel, interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall hailed not only the performance of the South African brawler but the incredible amount of thought that went into the gameplan.
"DDP, you can't count this guy out. I watch fights as a fan, but I also watch fights as a fighter to try and pick up little nuances, and I love to study different styles and for me personally, DDP is a guy who I'm baffled by, in all honesty.
"I'm completely baffled by his style because you watch him, and to be brutally honest, he looks a little bit inferior to his opponents in terms of technique but it's amazing to watch because he obviously isn't inferior."
Prior to the title fight with Adesanya, head coach Morne Visser had explained in an interview that they develop specific tailor-made gameplans for each of DDP's opponents; and that the strategy for 'Stylebender' was one that they'd been working on for almost a whole year.
"The gameplans that this guy and his coaches are doing [in there] are absolutely unbelievable," continued Aspinall, before arguing that he believes Dricus Du Plessis to be one of the most intelligent fighters in the entire roster.
"Me personally, I think he's one of the smartest fighters in the UFC and his team must be very, very smart as well… The guy just finds a way to win, he's extremely physically strong… He [also] looks a little bit messy – and I'm sure we all can agree on that.
"But he makes up for it in spirit, his will to win and persistence – if he doesn't get what he's going for [at first], he will keep going and grind his opponents down until he gets it. He just looked fantastic out there last night."
Whilst the vast majority of MMA fans knew that DDP was as legitimate of a middleweight as they come following his KO win over Robert Whittaker last year, the South African has gone from strength to strength; having now bested three former middleweight champions in a row.
"You look at him and think 'He's a bit raw there, he's a bit messy there, he's doing this a little bit wrong' but the guy's timing – this unorthodox herky-jerky timing where he breaks down his opponents and his spirit is just something that I can be inspired by.
"I can watch this guy all day and be like 'Wow, this guy is just mentally and physically grinding his opponents down'," celebrated the heavyweight king, before reiterating that it's DDP's fight IQ that is often overlooked.
"We've got to give him credit for his fight IQ as well, he systematically broke Israel Adesanya down and that's not something that's done easily… An inspiring performance for a guy like me."
Tom Aspinall teases 'something's coming' for Dana White and Jon Jones
If you're a UFC fan, you might want to keep an eye out on Tom Aspinall's channel later this week as the heavyweight champion also teased that he'll be dropping a video that 'claps back' at both Dana White and Jon Jones.
"We've got a cracking video coming up, we're going to be clapping back at Jon Jones – we're after Jon Jones, we want that fight around here and we're trying to make it happen. The fans want to see it happen; everyone wants to see it happen."
Whilst Aspinall remains respectful towards both 'Bones' and UFC President Dana White over his recent comments, the 15-3 powerhouse has a message that he can't wait to share with the world.
"According to Mr. Dana White, the boss man, the CEO, the main dog – is saying that Jon Jones is the pound-for-pound number one… I'm going to reply to Dana White, I'm going to reply to Jon Jones.
"We're coming for you on the channel, and we're coming for you in the octagon."
