Israel Adesanya urged to make UFC return in fight against Dricus du Plessis: ‘That build up was gonna be insane’
Former two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has been urged to chase a fight with incoming title challenger, Dricus du Plessis in his return to the Octagon by former two-weight UFC gold holder, Daniel Cormier, pointing to a perceived massive build up to an eventual pairing.
Adesanya, a former undisputed middleweight titleholder twice during his gold laden Octagon tenure, has been sidelined since he dropped gold back in September in an upset unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in Australia.
And initially claiming he is set to remain sidelined until 2027 at the very earliest, Adesanya has now revealed he is planning a return to the Octagon in the not too distant future, amid claims from Chael Sonnen that the City Kickboxing staple should make it his business to feature at UFC 300 next April.
Israel Adesanya has been backed to fight Dricus du Plessis next
According to the above-mentioned Hall of Fame inductee, Cormier, Adesanya should also make sure he stands opposite du Plessis next – particularly if the South African beats soon-to-be common-foe, Strickland this month at UFC 297.
“That build was gonna be so crazy,” Daniel Cormier said on his official YouTube channel. “So, if you watch (Sean) Strickland fight (Dricus) du Plessis in January, you still preserve that match up regardless for (Israel) Adesanya, right? du Plessis wins, title fight for Adesanya. Build the whole thing. du Plessis loses, fight versus Adesanya, build that whole thing. You save that matchup regardless, because if you put in there with Khamzat (Chimaev), it’s a great fight.”
“It makes all the sense in the world, it would seem like a number one contender fight, but if Khamzat gets through him (Israel Adesanya), now you might lose that fight with du Plessis if he wins,” Cormier continued. “Save du Plessis-Adesanya at all costs.”
Who wins in a future title pairing: Israel Adesanya or Dricus du Plessis?
