Dricus Du Plessis’ next fight: UFC champ knows exactly who he wants
Associated PressDricus Du Plessis has yet to defend his UFC middleweight championship, but the South African star knows precisely who he wants to fight next.
Dricus Du Plessis started extensive training in judo and kickboxing at only five years old. His all-around mixed martial arts skillset resulted in a trip to the 2012 Amateur Kickboxing Junior World Championship.
Du Plessis won gold at the event and would begin his professional MMA career after turning 18 later that year. He accepted an offer from Extreme Fighting Championship to join their roster and quickly blossomed into a star.
The African promotion allowed Du Plessis a seamless transition to the octagon, as the rising star compiled a 12-1 record, with a brief three-fight stint in the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki sandwiched between.
And then, Dana White came knocking.
Since joining the White’s promotion, Du Plessis has rarely been tested. He’s a perfect 7-0, and his latest split-decision victory against Sean Strickland resulted in South Africa’s first taste of UFC gold as a country.
Now, the reigning UFC middleweight champion has called his shot for his next fight. And there are plenty of reasons why White should give Du Plessis what he desires.
Contents
- Who does Dricus Du Plessis want to fight?
- Why does he want to fight the former champion?
- Why the UFC would be smart to make this match
Who does Dricus Du Plessis want to fight next?
In April, Dricus Du Plessis called out former UFC champion and fellow African Israel Adesanya, challenging him to the main event bout at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.
During a recent podcast appearance, ‘Stillknocks’ challenged Adesanya to “be a man of his word” after the Nigerian star threatened to drag Du Plessis’ carcass around South Africa earlier in their feud.
“I want that fight, and the people want that fight,” Du Plessis said. “In an ideal world, we wanted it on home soil.”
Du Plessis initially hoped to defend his UFC middleweight championship in his home country of South Africa, but he’s now willing to pivot to Australia for a match against Adesanya.
The two were originally supposed to fight in Sydney for the UFC 293 main event, but it never came to fruition. However, if Du Plessis gets his way, Australians will see the battle they were promised a year earlier.
Why does Du Plessis want to fight Adesanya?
Du Plessis and Adesanya have a lengthy history of trash talk, including a UFC 290 face-to-face confrontation during the post-fight interview.
At the event, ‘Stillknocks’ dispatched Robert Whittaker via a second-round TKO, earning him number-one contender status for Izzy’s middleweight belt.
After the fight, Du Plessis promised all South Africans that he’d bring the belt back to their home nation rather than run off to New Zealand with it, where Izzy currently resides.
Alas, Du Plessis suffered a leg injury ahead of his UFC 293 date with Adesanya. After withdrawing from the title bout, the UFC replaced him with Sean Strickland.
In a shocking turn, ‘The Last Stylebender’ would suffer an upset loss to Strickland, delaying plans for a potential Du Plessis-Adesanya super fight at the time.
Du Plessis went on to defeat Strickland at UFC 297, earning the middleweight strap he’d been chasing for a few years. Since becoming the champion of the division, the 30-year-old has yet to defend the belt.
But now, without a scheduled opponent, Du Plessis believes it’s the perfect time to lock horns with Adesanya. He wants to put this long-running feud to an end.
Why the UFC should make Du Plessis vs Adesanya
The UFC would be wise to pit Du Plessis and Adesanya against one another in a main event title bout, whether it happens in Australia or elsewhere.
The two have clear bad blood, evidenced by the disrespectful jawing back and forth that occurred from UFC 290 to UFC 293. Although the scheduled match didn’t come to pass, the rivalry remains strong a full year later.
Du Plessis believes he’s the best version of himself, even though his championship victory vs. Strickland was marred in controversy stemming from the split decision on the judges’ scorecards.
Defeating Adesanya, a two-time UFC champion, would provide legitimacy to his title reign. A dominant victory against ‘The Last Stylebender’ could be enough for Du Plessis to win over even his staunchest of doubters.
On the other hand, Adesanya hasn’t appeared in the octagon since that surprising UFC 293 loss to Strickland. Fighting Du Plessis would allow Izzy to re-establish his place amongst the greatest fighters in the world.
Regarding style, it’s hard to imagine a more exciting battle for Du Plessis or Adesanya. Both men have an endless amount of unique combinations, thanks to lengthy backgrounds in kickboxing.
Du Plessis’ UFC record remains unblemished through seven fights with the promotion, though Adesanya would be far and away the biggest threat he’s faced in the company.
MMA insider Ariel Helwani announced on X that Adesanya hasn’t been offered the UFC 305 main event, but “he’s one hundred percent in” if White schedules the fight.
Now, the ball is in White’s court. Du Plessis threw down the challenge, and Adesanya seems eager to leap at the opportunity to compete for UFC gold again.
With both fighters seeking another feather in the cap of their legacy, it seems right that they square off with one another next.