Dricus du Plessis has no interest in facing Khamzat Chimaev, but does have an interest in securing a fight with Israel Adesanya.
Seated before reporters, UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis lightened the mood, jesting about his appearance following a grueling title win against Sean Strickland at UFC 297.
“Remember how handsome I was before this fight?” du Plessis quipped when questioned about the visible damage. “I look like a cauliflower now. But yeah, I’m pretty banged up right now.”
Following his triumph, the inevitable question arose – who’s next? Du Plessis wasted no time, clearly stating his desire for a showdown with former champion Israel Adesanya.
Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya at UFC 300?
Looking ahead to a potential quick turnaround for the UFC 300 card on April 13, du Plessis, despite the toll of five rounds, expressed openness to the idea. “I’m up for another round if they want to go,” he asserted. “Yeah, I don’t want to put a timeline on it, but UFC 300 sounds amazing.”
Before Strickland entered the scene at UFC 293 and claimed the title, fans were eagerly anticipating a clash between du Plessis and Adesanya. Adesanya took a break from the sport, but now, with a potential comeback in the air, du Plessis is eager to reignite the rivalry.
Despite the initial tension, marked by a racially charged debate over the “real” African champ, du Plessis emphasized that his interest in facing Adesanya isn’t personal. “It’s nothing personal,” he clarified. “I want to fight the best competition.”
While open to various challenges, du Plessis recognizes the fan demand for the Adesanya matchup. “There’s a lot of hype that was already built on it,” he noted. “If the fans start backtracking and don’t really want to see Adesanya, we don’t do that fight. It’s fine to me. I don’t care who it is. But that’s just the fight on top of my head that I think the people want to see and would get a lot of people excited.”
Get In Line Chimaev
In contrast to other middleweights eyeing the title, like Khamzat Chimaev, who promptly tweeted at du Plessis after his win, the new champ views the Adesanya matchup as more logical.
Responding to Chimaev’s tweet about UFC 300, du Plessis shrugged off the challenge. “Yeah, but he said that to Jon Jones. Who takes that guy seriously?”
With the championship belt around his waist, du Plessis asserted that he deserves serious consideration. Overcoming doubts about his cardio in a title fight due to past oxygen issues, he stated, “Hopefully, my cardio is a discussion of the past. If not, keep on doubting, I don’t care. At your own demise, of course.”
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
