Dricus Du Plessis is convinced he’ll be facing Israel Adesanya soon, and he has some choice words for the UFC middleweight champion.
Even though Du Plessis has his hands full against Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, he appeared on The Schmo to send a warning shot to the champ. Both Du Plessis and Adesanya have engaged in a war of words over the last few months. It has gotten to the point where Adesanya is hoping he does beat Whittaker, therefore guaranteeing their clash.
“At the end of the day, I don’t care if he hopes, if he wants it, I’ll win on my terms and it’s imminent like I said. When I fight for the belt, I’m gonna fight Adesanya. He says he’s hoping that I win, that’s good. I don’t need hope… I’m not winning by accident or by him hoping. I’m winning because of hard work and because I’m the best fighter.”
Adesanya is expected to headline UFC 293, which will take place in Australia this September. With so few contenders available at middleweight that Adesanya hasn’t already convincingly beaten, including two wins over Whittaker, Du Plessis would be a fresh opponent. However, few are giving the South African a chance to get past Whittaker.
Dricus Du Plessis may need a miracle to get Israel Adesanya
DraftKings currently has Whittker a solid -390 favorite. At this point, Du Plessis winning would be a notable upset.
In his last fight, Du Plessis knocked out Derek Brunson at UFC 285. He’s 5-0 since joining the UFC, with four wins coming inside the distance. Flashy record aside, Du Plessis looked limited and gassed out against an old, faded Brunson.
How that will lead him to success against Whittaker is anyone’s guess. Whittaker is comfortably beating the likes of Jarod Cannonier, Marvin Vettori, and Yoel Romero, all of whom are levels above Du Plessis.
If Du Plessis does manage to score the upset, he’ll still be a significant underdog to Adesanya. Either way, the UFC would rather stage Du Plessis vs. Adesanya than an unnecessary Whittaker trilogy.
