Dricus du Plessis urges Israel Adesanya to fight him in UFC title grudge match next: ‘Be a man of your word, and let’s do it’
Dricus du Plessis wants only one name in his return to the Octagon later this year, urging Israel Adesanya to stand opposite him in a championship grudge match – claiming the City Kickboxing staple must be a man of his word and clash with him.
du Plessis, the current undisputed middleweight titleholder, has been sidelined since January, striking Octagon gold with a close, contentious split decision win over common-opponent, Sean Strickland in the pair’s main event fight at UFC 297 in Canada.
As for Adesanya, the Nigerian-Kiwi has been sidelined since he suffered a one-sided decision defeat of his own against massive betting underdog, Strickland back in September of last year at UFC 293 – in one of the biggest upset losses in the promotion’s antiquity.
Rejecting the opportunity to headline UFC 300 next month as part of a monumental card in Las Vegas, du Plessis revealed a string of lingering injuries forced his decision to reject a bout agreement, questioning why he would enter training camp compromised.
Dricus du Plessis calls for Israel Adesanya to meet him next
And furthermore, du Plessis reminded Adesanya that he now owns the middleweight crown – and any potential pairing must come on his terms, not the City Kickboxing staples.
“So, you claim you want to drag my carcass around in South Africa, as you said,” Dricus du Plessis said during an appearance on Hustlers Corner. “So, be a man of your word, and let’s do it.”
“We are trying,” Dricus du Plessis explained. “We are talking, definitely. That’s what the people want to see, and that’s what I want to do. I want to fight the best guys. This is an entertaining sport.”
Seeing a September title fight with Adesanya scuppered through more lingering injuries, Pretoria native, du Plessis earner his championship clash against Strickland with a blistering second round TKO win over former undisputed divisional champion, Robert Whittaker.
Who wins in a title fight later this year: Dricus du Plessis or Israel Adesanya?
