Dricus du Plessis is ready to settle his feud with Israel Adesanya and believes he will get the opportunity to fight for the middleweight title next, stating that he is not scared of Adesanya and aims to be the first African-residing champion.
Dricus du Plessis is eager to settle his dispute with Israel Adesanya. At UFC 287, Adesanya reclaimed the middleweight title thanks to a spectacular second round knockout of his longtime rival, Alex Pereira. In the aftermath, Adesanya laid the groundwork for a future challenge by threatening to “drag his carcass across South Africa” without mentioning du Plessis by name, should Plessis continue winning fights. Du Plessis, for his part, is more than willing to give him the chance.
Responding to Adesanya’s threats on The MMA Hour, du Plessis said, “For him saying that, does he think I’m scared of him? I am not scared of that man? The fact that he put some threats out there…If you want to make threats, come and show me. Come and show me how you drag my carcass around. I would love to see you try.” Du Plessis is hopeful that UFC Africa will happen next year, but he doesn’t want to wait that long to face Adesanya. He proposes a rematch in Africa next year, after beating Adesanya this year.
The tension between Adesanya and du Plessis was heightened by the South African fighter’s previous comments about being “an African champion”, stating that he trains and lives in Africa, unlike other African-born champions such as Adesanya and Kamaru Usman. Adesanya, who was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and lived in Ghana before immigrating to New Zealand at 10, was not amused by this assessment of his nationality. Du Plessis feels this whole issue was blown out of proportion, as he never meant to question the nationality of those fighters, but simply stated that he would be the first champion to bring his belt back to Africa.
According to du Plessis, the UFC might be his ticket to the middleweight title: “I think so,” he responded when asked if he’d get the next title shot, mentioning that he is the No. 1-ranked fighter Adesanya has not faced yet. As for the timeline, du Plessis is currently recovering from nose surgery and aims to return in July or August, depending on his recovery and the UFC’s decision. Regardless of whether or not he gets the title shot, the South African fighter remains confident and focused, declaring, “I don’t say no to fights. I’ll go out there, do what I have to do, win another fight, and prove once again that I belong in that position.”