Former two-time champion, Adesanya, came into the fight desperate to reclaim the belt he lost to Sean Strickland last September.
Dricus Du Plessis, the South African fighter, has defeated Nigerian-born Israel Adesanya by submission in the fourth round, to retain his middleweight title at the main event at UFC 305.
Ahead of the fight, there has been tensions over race and identity.
It ended on a dramatic note, as Du Plessis won with a rear-naked choke.
Former two-time champion, Adesanya, came into the fight desperate to reclaim the belt he lost to Sean Strickland last September.
Du Plessis, who was trailing 2-1 on the scorecards into the fourth round, turned the tide with several powerful hooks and jabs, followed by a decisive takedown.
Once he locked Adesanya into the choke, the Nigerian-born fighter had no choice but to submit.
