'Burning fire' drives Du Plessis to beat Adesanya at UFC 305

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis takes on Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 on August 17/18 .

'Stillknocks', the current champion, spoke to ESPN about his gym, CIT Performance Institute in Pretoria , which he co-owns with longtime friends and training partners Claudia and JT Botha , and all the work they're doing to grow the sport at home.

CIT is currently based in the nation's capital, and plans to expand throughout the country.

Dricus du Plessis has mentored Saaiman since he was just 14 years old .

Saaiman is currently finding his feet again after his first two defeats in the UFC .

The 23-year-old has a 9 -2 record in MMA , including 3-2 in UFC , with a career-long unbeaten streak.

Du Plessi : "I saw in his eyes the same look that I could see in my own when I started the sport".

CIT head coach Morne Visser has been one of the key masterminds behind the rise of Dricus du Plessis .

The pair will meet at UFC 305 in Perth on August 18 , with the main card scheduled for 10AM local time (4AM CAT ) "I'm going to take a belt to Africa ," he said ahead of his bout against Strickland at a media day .

"I wanted to make history as the first African -born, trained and residing champion and I did. That was exactly what I wanted to accomplish".