Dricus Du Plessis is not happy with the delay for his next fight. After becoming the champion everyone wants to know who will Du Plessis fight his first title defense against. Would it be Sean Strickland? or would it be Israel Adesanya? nobody knows. It looks like Du Plessis is ready to go but according to his latest tweet, there seem to be hiccups in the matchup process.
Dricus Du Plessis recently sent out a tweet on X. He revealed that he has agreed to an opponent and the proposed location for his next fight. However, it is not going as planned.
I’ve agreed to the opponent and location so what are we waiting for ?”
Dricus Du Plessis via X
So who will “Stillknocks” fight for his first title defense? Former champion Sean Strickland had strongly pushed for a rematch after Du Plessis beat him at UFC 297 to become champion. However, he is now fighting Paulo Costa at UFC 302. The next probable opponent is former champion Israel Adesanya.
I’ve agreed to the opponent and location so what are we waiting for ?
— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) May 20, 2024
Adesanya and Du Plessis’s rivalry started last year when Adesanya was still champion. He called out Du Plessis over comments about him and other African fighters in the UFC. They were supposed to fight at UFC 293, but Du Plessis backed out at the last moment because of injury. There have been no official announcements as to Du Plessis’s title opponent so it will be interesting to see who he fights next.
Robert Whittaker predicts who would win between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya
Robert Whittaker ranks #3 in the UFC’s middleweight rankings. He fought Dricus Du Plessis once at UFC 290. He has fought Israel Adesanya twice, at UFC 271 and UFC 243. Whittaker lost all the aforementioned fights but he knows how both fighters fight.
Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis share an intense rivalry (via Newshub)‘The Reaper’ gave his opinion on what a probable fight between the two top middleweights would look like.
It’s an interesting fight. I can see Adesanya just piecing him up for five rounds. But in saying that, Dricus is tough as nails, and he’s awkward. I can also see Dricus just getting in there and making it awkward, and, I don’t know, taking him out of his rhythm.
Robert Whittaker on MMArcade
As per rumors, Adesanya agreed to fight Du Plessis at UFC 305. That fight would take place this August at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Meanwhile, Whittaker has his own fight coming up against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. They will headline the main event at UFC Saudi Arabia this June in Riyadh.
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