The UFC title match between champion Israel Adesanya and challenger Dricus Du Plessis might be called off due to Du Plessis’ injury, with Adesanya expressing interest in competing against Sean Strickland instead.
The future of the UFC middleweight title grudge match between champion Israel Adesanya and challenger Dricus Du Plessis is uncertain before the ink has even dried on the contract. Adesanya posted a video on Twitter on Wednesday expressing his exasperation regarding Du Plessis. According to Adesanya, the South African challenger has injured his foot and will not be able to participate in their scheduled bout at UFC 293 in September. Consequently, he has mentioned Sean Strickland, the top middleweight contender, as his only option, pushing Du Plessis back in the queue.
Adesanya’s disappointment was evident in his words. He accused Du Plessis of pretending to be ready for the fight when in reality, he wasn’t and blamed his injury for backing out of the fight. He reminded Du Plessis that this is what champions do—they show up despite the odds. He also chastised other fighters who claim to be ready and willing to fight anyone, anytime, drawing parallels between himself and Alex Volkanovski who he says is built differently. In the same breath, he announced his intent to fight, sparing no one, he included ‘D***less du P****’ in his choice of words. It was his clear declaration that Strickland was next in line, and he was ready to put on a show.
Adesanya had confronted Dricus du Plessis after Du Plessis’ win against former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, setting up a potentially exciting future title match. This confrontation was sparked by Du Plessis’ claim that he would take the belt to Africa, which insinuated that Adesanya, despite his African roots, was less African due to his long-time residency in New Zealand. While Du Plessis denied any intention to create discord, he did not mince words when he said that Adesanya had acted like a clown during their encounter, promising an easy win over him in the future.
Adesanya had demonstrated his impressive skills at a previous match where he defended his title robustly, effectively reclaiming his belt after a knockout loss at UFC 281. Meanwhile, Sean Strickland, who appears to be next in line, stunned audiences at UFC Vegas 76 with a knockout victory for his second straight win. All this has piqued interest in a future match between Adesanya and Strickland, especially with Du Plessis currently stepping out of the limelight. UFC 293 is slated for Sept. 10 at Qudos Arena in Sydney, but a headliner for the event has yet to be confirmed.