UFC Rumors: Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis for UFC 300 Is What UFC Would Go With, According to Ariel Helwani

There is an increase in the anticipation for UFC 300 after what UFC 297 had to offer. Dricus du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland to become the new middleweight champion, following which he called out Israel Adesanya. Combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani analyzed the situation during a recent episode of ‘The MMA Hour’ and interestingly, he made a case for Du Plessis vs. Adesanya to be the headliner for UFC 300.

After Dricus Du Plessis called out Israel Adesanya, the latter did not take too long to respond. ‘Izzy’ had previously mentioned taking a long hiatus from fighting, but could consider coming back earlier. Given what he has with Du Plessis right now, it could be the ideal time for him to come back for another fight, which Ariel Helwani has bid to become the main event in April.

Is Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya the fight to make?

The famous combat sports journalist started the discussion by mentioning the fans’ anticipation for the pay-per-view in April. The UFC matchmakers are having a hard time with the main event, but he believes that Dricus Du Plessis winning the middleweight title has set the stage for the Israel Adesanya fight.

“DDP wins and now all of a sudden you have one of the most fierce and bitter rivalries in the sport… You’ve got Dricus Du Plessis and waiting in the wings, Israel Adesanya, giving us the thumbs up on Instagram,” said Helwani. He believes that the animosity and the bad blood Adesanya and Du Plessis have for each other will make for a great UFC 300 main event.

“If they make it right for Izzy and make it right for DDP, that is the fight, that is [UFC] 300 worthy,” Helwani continued. However, the famous journalist doesn’t think it is as big of a fight as Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier. Nevertheless, there is a lot of history between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya for them to headline UFC 300.

“Is it Jones-DC, no… As far as the history and anything that would go into that fight, that feels [UFC] 300 worthy. So it’s right there. This is the fight,” ‘The MMA Hour’ host added. Meanwhile, he also mentioned another fight that might have been in consideration for UFC 300. Let’s have a look at that front.

Edwards vs. Muhammad might have been a viable option

Ariel Helwani mentioned that the UFC might have been in a dilemma regarding UFC 300. But they had the Welterweight championship fight between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad as a possible option for the main event. However, Helwani understands that the fight may not make as much noise as Dricus Du Plessis fighting Isreal Adesanya would make. He further stated, “They didn’t wanna do Leon vs. Belal, they didn’t feel like it had the juice and it’s hard to argue with that. “

Helwani claimed there was everything the UFC needed in the rivalry between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya and doubled down on making this the most viable option to headline UFC 300. “This has the juice, this has the pedigree, this has the stakes and it really has one of the stars of the UFC who has been carrying this company.”

Watch This Story: Watch: Dricus Du Plessis Headbutts Sean Strickland Causing a Cut at UFC 297 Main Event

Dricus Du Plessis had mentioned after the Sean Strickland fight that UFC 300 sounded great to him. Meanwhile, Alex Pereira has also hinted at a comeback to the 185-pound division, which has added more ambiguity around the situation with Israel Adesanya. We will have to wait for further developments on this front.

Read More: Getting a Rematch Denied by Dana White, Sean Strickland Raises Huge Controversy Surrounding Dricus Du Plessis Win at UFC 297