Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya at UFC 300? Will African Star Settle the Rivalry With Ex-MW Champion After UFC 297?

Dricus Du Plessis has a score to settle with the current as well as the former champion. The #2 middleweight ranked fighter is all set to go up against Sean Strickland at UFC 297 but Israel Adesanya could still be lingering in his mind somewhere.

He always wanted to go up against ‘Izzy’ for the belt. But that was the point for the South African fighter, he wanted the belt and perhaps not the belt-holder. Now, the champion has changed and perhaps so has his mindset. However, he may still like to take down Adesanya, depending on the result of UFC 297. Here’s what he said.

Dricus Du Plessis has moved on, but has he really?

Dricus Du Plessis has been very open about shifting his mind from one champion to another. He told ESPN how making the mental shift from Adesanya to Strickland was quite easy. Originally, Du Plessis himself was meant to fight the former champ, but he couldn’t, thanks to a foot injury.

Sure enough, Sean Strickland clinched the belt with a unanimous decision victory out of the blue. Now, Du Plessis has his eyes on ‘Tarzan’ instead. But in a recent interview, he opened up about how the fight with Adesanya would still be exhilarating, especially with the belt around his own waist.

“I think that would be an amazing fight,”  he told TNT Sports. “I think that fight needs to happen and I would love for it to happen, I think it’s a massive fight. You know, after winning the belt in January, that’ll be great but it’s something I completely disregarded for now. I don’t think about any other fight. I don’t think about any other career move. I don’t think about the future. I think about one thing and that’s January 20th.”

He’s said it before and now he’s said it again. It’s really the championship that Du Plessis is after. And against Sean Strickland, he has a special rivalry. The two have gotten into both, verbal and physical brawls. Does the belt hold that much meaning to the fighter?

The first UFC belt for South Africa

Dricus Du Plessis also opened up about the possibility of attaining the first-ever UFC belt for his country and continent. The UFC has yet not been to Africa for an event. And if Du Plessis wins, he could not only bring the belt but the whole promotion to the African continent. If he does pull it off, he will have beaten the likes of Adesanya, Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou in bringing the premiere organisation to the African continent.

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He wants to make “history” by bringing the belt back to Africa. He detailed out how it has been a lifelong dream for him to come to the UFC and put South Africa on the map. Now, he may be the first South African champion in the history of the UFC.

Would you be excited to see the fighters in the continent? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Also Read: “Stopped Believing in God” – Sean Strickland Breaks Down While Opening Up to Anxiety Induced Due to Traumatic Childhood