Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and contender Dricus du Plessis will face off in a title eliminator at UFC 290, with the winner receiving a shot at the championship against Israel Adesanya.
The UFC’s middleweight division is moving forward with a title eliminator match set for July 8 at UFC 290. The match, taking place as part of International Fight Week, will see former champion Robert Whittaker face off against rising contender Dricus du Plessis. UFC president Dana White announced that the winner of the bout would get their shot at UFC gold and most likely fight Israel Adesanya later this year in Sydney, Australia.
Whittaker currently holds an impressive 24-6 record and is ranked as the No. 2 middleweight in the world. The former middleweight champion has a 12-2 record in the UFC, with his only losses being to current titleholder Israel Adesanya. On the other hand, du Plessis boasts a 19-2 record, with seven consecutive victories, five of which took place under the UFC banner. He holds notable wins over Darren Till and Derek Brunson and is ranked as the No. 8 middleweight in the world.
In addition to the Whittaker vs. du Plessis match, White announced two more fights for UFC 290: a welterweight pairing between Robbie Lawler and Niko Price, as well as a lightweight match between Jalin Turner and Dan Hooker. UFC 290 will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Other previously announced bouts for the event include Alexander Volkanovski defending his featherweight title against Yair Rodriguez, flyweight champion Brandon Moreno going up against Alexandre Pantoja, Bo Nickal facing Tresean Gore, and Deiveson Figueiredo meeting Manel Kape.