Israel Adesanya vows to still punish Dricus Du Plessis despite being scheduled to face Sean Strickland.
Adesanya is a top name in the MMA world today. He is an incredible asset to the UFC and has proven to be one of the more popular fighters in the company. Adesanya will face Strickland in two weeks down under. However, the first option for the fight was Dricus Du Plessis, but he could not make the date. Yet, there is a lot of intrigue around a potential contest between the two. Furthermore, the champion seems more than willing to take on the challenge.
Israel Adesanya: A Fighting Champion
Adesanya has had a great run in the UFC to date. The Nigerian fighter is the current middleweight champion. He is known for his incredible kickboxing skills and entertaining personality. The 34-year-old has a professional record of 24-2 with 16 knockouts. He has beaten the likes of Robert Whittaker, Alex Pereira, and Anderson Silva. Slowly carving out a career that you could argue is the best we’ve seen at middleweight. What makes Adesanya unique is his willingness to take on any opponent, as unlike some champions, he fights multiple times a year. It is safe to say he hasn’t changed, as Adesanya is already eyeing up a matchup with Du Plessis after the contest was Strickland.
Speaking with MMA Junkie, Adesanya explains how he still expects to fight Du Plessis.
“We’ll see if he shows up but also, I’ll see how I feel,” Adesanya said. “I’ll see how I feel. I do want that fight. I feel like that will be one of the most important fights in sporting history. I mean that when I say in history. I’ll see how I feel because again, time keeps on ticking. Time waits for no man.”
Quotes via MMA Fighting
Could Du Plessis Cause a Upset
Du Plessis has been on quite the run as of late, which has resulted in him being in-line for a title shot. He has a professional record of 20-2 with 19 finishes. It is important to note that he has an eight-fight win streak, which shows he is riding a lot of momentum. Du Plessis has beaten the likes of Whittaker, Darren Till, and Derek Brunson. These wins show that he is a top contender for Adesanya’s title. Even though he has yet to taste gold in the UFC, Du Plessis has held belts in other promotions. Most notably, the South African fighter is a former Extreme Fighting Championship middleweight and welterweight champion. It shows Du Plessis knows what being at the top of a promotion is like. Du Plessis will look to cause a massive upset when the two eventually meet.
How The Fight Could Potentially Go
As previously stated, it is an intriguing matchup to comprehend. Both fighters are good on the feet, but the edge would have to go to Adesanya due to his elite kickboxing record. However, Du Plessis proved in the Whittaker fight that he had the power to turn a great fighter’s lights out. The advantage would have to go to Du Plessis if the fight hit the ground. The two competitors have a lot of bad blood, which always makes for an excellent spectacle. It would be an astonishing upset for Du Plessis to dethrone Adesanya. Yet, anything can happen in the UFC.
It is all well and good looking forward to a potential matchup between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. However, the champion must first defeat a dangerous challenger in Strickland.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
