Dricus du Plessis became an unlikely champion in the promotion with a split-decision victory over Sean Strickland at UFC 297. The South African came into the title picture after a second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker, even though he was a heavy-beating underdog.
The first South African UFC champion has now set his sights on the former long-reigning champion and his bitter rival. After a disastrous loss against Strickland at UFC 293 on home turf, the former champion looks to rewrite history, but the current champion has other plans.
Dricus Du Plessis interested in fighting Israel Adesanya at UFC 305
Dricus du Plessis had already made his plans clear after he defeated Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in Vancouver, Canada. The South African revealed that he wants to fight for the light heavyweight title but his immediate plan is to defend his title against Israel Adesanya, possibly at UFC 300. Adesanya expressed his interest in the fight but it did not materialize as the timeline did not align with du Plessis’s recovery time.
Moreover, du Plessis even stated that, as he’s the champion, he is now the A-side. Furthermore, he also revealed the reason for rejecting the fight at UFC 300. With UFC 305 set for Perth, Australia, du Plessis has called out Adesanya via Instagram. “Looks like someone wants another beating in Aus..”, du Plessis captioned the post, hinting at Adesanya’s disastrous loss to Sean Strickland in Australia.
“I’m in, I also wouldn’t want to fight the king of Africa on home soil. Manifestations working good for you AGAIN!”, du Plessis added as he trolled the former champion as a nod to their controversial feud due to their shared but different African heritage.
Nonetheless, the du Plessis victory over Strickland was deemed controversial, with many, including Dana White, stating that they thought Strickland won. The American has been clamoring for a rematch but that does not seem to work for the UFC.
Moreover, Dana White recently announced a number one contender middleweight fight between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev for UFC Saudi Arabia. Therefore, Strickland fell further down the pecking order, though he’s ranked first in the division.
Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya feud explained
The feud between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya started after the South African fighter made comments about his African heritage that Adesanya and others took offense to. The South African claimed that he was ‘More African’ than Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou, who were the then-champions in the UFC, as per Yahoo Movies.
In contrast to Adesanya, Usman, and Ngannou, who resided in the USA and New Zealand, du Plessis called South Africa his home and even underwent training there. As a result, he believed he had a stronger case for being African. The tension escalated when Adesanya and du Plessis squared off in the octagon at UFC 290. During the face-off, Adesanya taunted du Plessis by using offensive language and making references to their shared African heritage.
The face-off was done to set up a title clash at UFC 293 in Sydney but du Plessis aggravated his foot injury and Sean Strickland replaced him on short notice. Strickland upset the odds as he defeated Adesanya and sent him on a self-imposed hiatus.
Alex Pereira called out Adesanya for a light heavyweight title fight after his victory over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 but Adesanya was not interested. Moreover, he trolled Pereira as he posted the picture of an unconscious Pereira from their previous fight at UFC 287.
However, when du Plessis called him out at UFC 297, Adesanya immediately responded via social media. The duo was the favorites to headline UFC 300 before Dana White announced Alex Pereira versus Jamahal Hill, much to the fans’ disappointment.
Who will win the potential fight between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya? Leave your prediction below!
