SUMMARY
- At UFC 297, Dricus du Plessis won the Middleweight title from Sean Strickland.
- Speaking in an interview, Dricus said he wanted to fight at UFC 300.
Dricus du Plessis created history when he defeated Sean Strickland at UFC 297 last year. Following a long, drawn-out saga between the two, things finally led to a fateful night inside the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Notably, what many at the time didn’t realize was the future implications of the events that transpired.
For those unaware, Du Plessis left it all on the line against the defending champion, Strickland. Both men fought bravely and made an excellent case for themselves to win. However, on the night, despite what many felt was the right decision, ‘Stillknocks‘ managed to get his hand raised.
Although Strickland was the clear fan favorite, the South African had seemingly done enough to win the fight. In a moment of great pride for the nation of South Africa, Dricus had an entire nation cheering him on from afar. In what was clearly an emotional moment for the fighter, he also took the opportunity to establish himself as the king of the middleweights.
Dricus du Plessis on fighting at UFC 300
Following his victory, the spotlight was on Dricus du Plessis to see what he would do and say next. Promptly, he took the opportunity to shoot callouts at two of the best middleweights in recent history, Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira. Whilst the callout to Pereira was one to welcome the Brazilian to avenge his training partner, there is a lot of backstory between du Plessis and Adesanya as well.
Notably, the two have had bad blood ever since the comments regarding a ‘real African champion’ came about. Following his win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, Dricus had an entire back-and-forth with Izzy inside the Octagon. Thus, the 30-year-old made sure to call out the former champ.
Speaking in an interview after the fight, Du Plessis was also asked if he would be open to fighting at UFC 300. “Let’s see what the doctor says. But, I would love to fight on UFC 300. I have to say, that’s going to be a story.” As Dricus reveals, he intends to give the fans what they want, and if it is a fight against Adesanya, then so be it.
Israel Adesanya has been hinting his return
At the same time, Israel Adesanya has been enjoying his time away from the sport. Following his shock loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, Izzy revealed that he would be taking some much-needed time off, to properly heal and recuperate. Amidst all this, there were also some ongoing legal issues and issues pertaining to his ex-partner.
However, it would seem that Adesanya grew rather impatient with his self-imposed hiatus. In the weeks leading up to UFC 297, ‘The Last Stylebender‘ began reappearing a lot more, speaking about his interest in returning sooner than many expected. Despite rumors of a potential injury, the former two-time middleweight champ could be seen resuming his training already.
🚨| Israel Adesanya seemingly hinting a return at UFC 300 on April 13th. 😳
[@stylebender IG]#MMA #UFC pic.twitter.com/fOVfszCDOM
— MMA Frenzy (@mma_frenzy) February 1, 2024
With that said, Adesanya has also not shied away from social media either. Taking to his Instagram stories, the Kiwi has been hinting a lot towards something, most likely a potential return at UFC 300. Whilst that much may be clear, fans are still wondering who his opponent will be. Despite assumptions of a trilogy fight against Alex Pereira, many believe that the Dricus fight will likely be what actually transpires.