Dricus Du Plessis: I want to fight Israel Adesanya, but not as bad as I want to fight for the UFC middleweight belt
Dricus du Plessis is focused on fighting for the UFC middleweight title, regardless of who the champion is.
In July of this year, Du Plessis solidified himself as a legitimate 185-pound title contender by securing a second-round finish against Robert Whittaker. Shortly after his win at UFC 290, ‘Stillknocks’ faced off with Israel Adesanya in what seemed like an inevitable matchup.
A lot has changed since Du Plessis and Adesanya squared off inside the T-Mobile Arena. ‘Stillknocks’ avoided a quick turnaround by turning down a fight against ‘The Last Stylebender’ at UFC 293. Instead, Sean Strickland earned the title shot and shocked the world by becoming the new middleweight king.
During an interview on The MMA Hour, Du Plessis had this to say about his plans moving forward now that Adesanya isn’t the 185-pound champion:
“The belt is what interests me. After that, we can do the easy fight. Right now, Sean Strickland is the goal. I want to fight Israel Adesanya, but not as bad as I want to fight for the belt. I’ll make the promise that when I win that belt, he’ll be the first defense, 100%. Right now, Israel Adesanya is irrelevant to me…All my focus is on the guy with the title, and that’s the guy I want to fight next.”
Dricus du Plessis believes he would’ve finished Israel Adesanya in the first round at UFC 293
Some people think Israel Adesanya had an off night at UFC 293, while others shut down those conspiracies by claiming Sean Strickland deserves all the credit. As a result, a debate has been sparked about whether or not Dricus du Plessis would’ve defeated Adesanya if he had taken the fight.
During the same interview on The MMA Hour, Du Plessis had this to say about his belief in what would’ve happened if he headlined UFC 293:
“He [Adesanya] wouldn’t have gotten up after that flurry where Strickland dropped him. 100% [I would’ve finished Adesanya in the first. 100% if I fought that version of Israel Adesanya. Do you think Robert Whittaker would’ve beaten that version of Adesanya? Yes. That fight went a round and a half with me and Whittaker. There’s no way it would’ve seen the second round.”
Dricus Du Plessis made his UFC debut in October 2020. Despite most fans doubting him, ‘Stillknocks’ has won six consecutive fights, including five inside the distance. The South African-born fighter now looks to continue silencing the doubters by becoming the middleweight king.