"Just a number" - Dricus du Plessis willing to skip UFC 300 headliner in favor of facing Israel Adesanya at another historic event
Dricus du Plessis is prepared to forego the opportunity to headline UFC 300 in order to take on Israel Adesanya at another significant event.
The 30-year-old South African clinched the middleweight title with a split decision victory over Sean Strickland in last month's main event at UFC 297 in Toronto. In his post-fight octagon interview, 'Stillknocks' swiftly issued a challenge to Adesanya for his first title defense.
Despite initial speculation about the potential fight taking place at the historic UFC 300 event on April 13, du Plessis has expressed uncertainty, citing ongoing recovery from injuries sustained in his last bout.
During a recent interview on South African radio station Jacaranda FM, 'Stillknocks' stated that skipping UFC 300 is preferable to recover fully:
"I think UFC 300 is obviously going to be a milestone event. I think it’s going to be great. I would love to be part of that, but not if it’s going to mean that I’m not going to be fully recovered. Defending my title is much more important to me than being on this milestone event."
He additionally mentioned that he has another significant event in mind for a potential bout with 'The Last Stylebender':
"The real milestone event will be UFC in Africa, and more importantly, South Africa. I can’t even explain to you how long I’ll be willing to wait to make that happen and defend my belt on home soil. That’s history. UFC 300 is just a number. It’s not as massive as UFC Africa."
Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (28:25):
The rivalry between du Plessis and Adesanya is widely recognized. During a tense encounter at UFC 290 last July, 'The Last Stylebender' entered the octagon and directed a series of profanities at du Plessis. This intense confrontation stems from their past when du Plessis made comments about wanting to be the first Africa-based UFC champion.
Robert Whittaker's confident forecast for Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya potential title showdown
Robert Whittaker recently offered his prediction for a potential showdown between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. Whittaker, who has shared the octagon with 'Stillknocks', believes that the South African champion has the advantage.
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, 'The Reaper' stated:
"I’m going to say DDP. Just because, like Sean with Dricus, the safe bet was Sean, but Dricus showed what he was willing to do and what he was willing to go through. Can he do that again against Izzy? Who knows? But he’s a tough guy. It doesn’t matter if he’s getting hit, he showed that tenacity in that fight. So I’ll go DDP."
He added:
"As someone who has fought Dricus, I understand how awkward he is to fight. Everyone who saw the fight can say how awkward he looks."
Check out Robert Whittaker's comments below (8:55):