Israel Adesanya Gives Dana White the Green Light as Dricus Du Plessis Fight Rumors Flare Up for UFC 305

At the UFC 300, Dana White’s plans for the seating arrangement for Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis caused quite a stir in the UFC world. There are whispers that the duo might be fighting in Australia as Du Plessis teased in his Instagram, “Looks like someone wants another beating in Australia, I’m in.” Meanwhile, Adesanya was not far behind as recently, he, too, gave the green light to White for a possible bout.

Adesanya last fought against Sean Strickland and dropped his title to the American at UFC 293. After UFC 300, the rumors of the Du Plessis fight have been building up, especially since they were sitting just rows away from each other at UFC 300. Now, Adesanya has given a big signal for the fight through his Instagram.

Looks like Israel Adesanya is ready to face Dricus du Plessis

The Instagram story showed “The Last Stylebender” sweating profusely from all the training and exercise. He captioned the story with, “Now the work has begun!” which could be a sign to Dana White and Co. that he is ready to fight inside the Octagon again. Alternatively, it could also be a message to his fans that he has given his nod to his return bout.

The former UFC middleweight champion had previously addressed the decision of Dricus Du Plessis to turn down their rumored matchup at UFC 300. Adesanya said that he was made aware of the main event featuring Pereira and Hill just minutes before it was officially announced. He was, at the time, also hoping to take on Du Plessis and headline the marquee event. 

Du Plessis told Jacaranda FM that he was up for a fight with the former champion and said, “I would like to fight Israel Adesanya next,” he said. “Preferably on home soil… I think that’s probably the next fight.” ‘Stillknocks’ decision makes sense given that UFC 300 would have been too quick a turnaround after the gritty fight at UFC 297 in January 2024.

Meanwhile, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker gave his two cents on the blueprint that Du Plessis can use against Adesanya inside the Octagon. Given that he has fought both these middleweights, his opinion could definitely prove vital. Let’s see what he had to say.

What can Du Plessis use against Adesanya?

The champion was at war with himself and could not pick between the duo. ‘The Reaper’ faced both the fighters inside the Octagon. He has lost to Adesanya twice. Meanwhile, Du Plessis earned his shot at the title by defeating Whittaker at UFC 290. So, keeping that in mind, he said, “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…”

He also mentioned that Du Plessis could study the fight between Adesanya and Strickland, which he could use as a blueprint against ‘The Last Stylebender.’ Now that Adesanya is ready to fight, the UFC buffs can hopefully see if Whittaker is right in his judgment.

To top it all off, Adesanya and Du Plessis had the gnarly ‘real African’ debate adding fuel to the fire of their rivalry. So the buildup to this one could see some serious mental warfare from both fighters.

What strategies do you think Du Plessis and Adesanya might use inside the cage against each other? Can Adesanya reclaim his throne from Du Plessis? Let us know in the comments.