Despite being on the ground in Las Vegas for UFC 300, Israel Adesanya will not be headlining the historic card against UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, but instead will be watching the fights from the stands.
Israel Adesanya is in Las Vegas for UFC 300, just as he anticipated. But instead of headlining Saturday’s historic card against UFC middleweight champ Dricus du Plessis, he’ll be a spectator.
“I was heartbroken,” Adesanya confessed on The MMA Hour. “I thought it was us.”
He was grateful his manager, Tim Simpson, gave him a heads-up before the announcement of Jamahal Hill versus Alex Pereira. “If I had found out on Instagram, Dana [White] would’ve gotten calls,” he said. Adesanya had been training hard, even in Switzerland, for about four weeks.
Adesanya, 34, was rumored to headline UFC 300 opposite du Plessis. However, the main event went to a light heavyweight title bout between UFC champ Alex Pereira and former champ Jamahal Hill. Simpson revealed on The MMA Hour that Adesanya was “very upset” by the news.
Du Plessis had stated he chose not to fight at UFC 300 due to a foot injury from his January title win over Sean Strickland. He had added, “You are summoned when I say you’re summoned,” in regards to Adesanya.
“The Last Stylebender” couldn’t help but scoff at the champ’s claims. “They’re not built like us. It’s different,” Adesanya said. He was not fully healed but was ready to seize the opportunity. “UFC 300, f*** it, let’s do it,” he said.
He mentioned that he, Alex Volkanovski, and Kamaru Usman were fighters who didn’t care about the belt. They just wanted to fight. “I’ve got belts at home,” he said. “I’m a two-time middleweight champion. Soon to be three. It’s not about the belt.”
“I’m coming for their heads,” he declared. He said it was about fighting while you can. He acknowledged du Plessis’s achievements but said, “if you want to hold onto that belt and be cozy, that’s your prerogative.”
With UFC 300 off the table, du Plessis and Adesanya are expected to face off later this year. They have suggested the UFC 305 event on Aug. 17 in Perth as a possible venue.
If that happens, it’ll be the longest layoff of Adesanya’s UFC career. He hasn’t competed since his September 2023 loss to Sean Strickland. Adesanya admitted that setback taught him not to rush into every opportunity. He emphasized quality over quantity for the final stretch of fights in his career.
He named Du Plessis, Strickland, and surprisingly, Khamzat Chimaev as his most interesting potential opponents. Chimaev is set to face Robert Whittaker on June 22. “If Khamzat beats Rob, I want to test that,” Adesanya said.
One name missing from Adesanya’s list is Alex Pereira, who took the UFC 300’s main-event slot. Pereira and Adesanya have a history, having competed against each other four times in kickboxing and MMA. Pereira won the first three bouts, but Adesanya scored the Knockout of the Year with a dramatic second-round win at UFC 287.
Pereira called out Adesanya for an MMA rematch after winning the light heavyweight belt in November. But “The Last Stylebender” isn’t interested. He said he only has a certain number of fights left and doesn’t want to fight for anyone else.
“I always fought this guy and I knew I could beat this guy,” he said. “I just wanted to prove to myself I could beat him.” He added that he doesn’t need the fight, unlike Pereira. “I did what I did, that saga’s over,” he said. “I’ve got some other beef to avenge later on down the track.”