SUMMARY
- Chael Sonnen reveals the reason behind the rushed marketing of Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297.
- According to Sonnen, Israel Adesanya will face the winner of Strickland vs Du Plessis at UFC 300.
Chael Sonnen has taken to his YouTube channel to claim Israel Adesanya is set to fight at UFC 300. Sonnen’s explanation involved a reason for which Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis was being rushed by the UFC. According to the UFC veteran, Adesanya will face the winner of the Middleweight title bout at UFC 300.
Strickland vs Du Plessis in January pic.twitter.com/9JUnFLNHry
— UFC (@ufc) November 6, 2023
Strickland extraordinarily dominated and defeated Adesanya at UFC 293 to earn the UFC Middleweight title. His first title defense is against South African fighter Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January 2024. Strickland and Du Plessis have already laid hands on each other in the crowd at UFC 296. The pair will have an all-out brawl inside the Octagon in a few weeks.
Observing the fight closely will be ‘The Last Stylebender‘ as according to Sonnen, Adesanya is set to face the winner of the match. Sonnen said, “The reason that Strickland and Du Plessis was rushed to the marketplace is because the winner is going to take on Izzy at UFC 300.”
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He admitted that Adesanya has not committed to anything publicly yet. “Izzy has spoke on this and Izzy has not given us a commitment but he’s come close.”
However, Sonnen wants Adesanya to come out and announce his title challenge for UFC 300. If he waits until after the UFC 297 title bout, it will look like Adesanya was just waiting for a “favorable matchup.”
Israel Adesanya previously claimed he would love to headline UFC 300
After his defeat against Strickland, Adesanya announced that he would be taking a hiatus from fighting until 2027. Many fans were unwilling to believe him and they were correct. Recently, Adesanya opened up about coming back to fight soon and that his 2027 announcement was a ruse. However, nothing is confirmed about his return to Octagon at UFC 300.
In September, Adesanya revealed his wish to headline UFC 300. “I’d love to headline that, but we’ll see,” Adesanya told reporters at UFC 293 media day.
The Nigerian-Kiwi fighter has been a fan of the sport for years. He claimed he watched UFC 100 and UFC 200. He hoped to be a part of UFC 300. “I’ve watched UFC 100, that was Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir. UFC 200, that was [Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes]… I’ve been a fan of the sport for a long time. UFC 300, I’m going to touch that, because I know I’m not going to hit UFC 400. So, I’m definitely going to hit UFC 300,” he added.
Strickland (28-5) will take on Du Plessis (20-2) in a UFC Middleweight title bout at UFC 297 on January 20, 2024, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. Later, UFC 300 is set to take place on April 13, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.