Former UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has finally confirmed that he will face Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title at UFC 305. The announcement comes after “The Last Stylebender” hinted at potentially fighting another opponent. Adesanya is set to make his return to Australia, where he lost the title to Strickland in September last year. He confirmed the matchup with Du Plessis with a tweet on June 17 and shared a fan-made poster.
He poetically wrote, ““The SUN of Africa is the same sun that lights up our planet. The SUN will set and will rise again until you walk into it. The SUN, enjoy while it shines. Darkness falls when it’s gone.”
The Middleweight Giants encountered last July
Adesanya and Du Plessis encountered each other for the first time in the cage when “Stillknocks” scored a stunning TKO victory over Robert Whittaker last July. However, the road to their ultimate bout hasn’t been straightforward. At the time, Adesanya held the middleweight championship, but he lost it to Sean Strickland later in September. In January, Du Plessis captured the middleweight title from Strickland at UFC 297 via split decision.
Du Plessis’ statement led to the rivalry with Adesanya
After winning, Du Plessis claimed that he had fulfilled his ambition by becoming the first real African champion in the UFC. This statement sparked controversy with Adesanya, who was born in Africa but lives in New Zealand, just like former champions Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou, who also have roots in Africa but live abroad. Du Plessis later clarified that his goal was to become the first UFC champion to be born in Africa and live and train there. The rivalry between Dricus and Israel has grown even more, with both of them having different interpretations of what it means to be an African champion.
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Initially, there was uncertainty over whether Du Plessis’ first title defense would be against Sean Strickland or Adesanya. However, “Tarzan” recently fought and defeated Paulo Costa at UFC 303, taking him out of contention for the bout in August. Now Adesanya is set to return to Australia, where he originally won the title in 2019. UFC 305 is set to be held on August 15, and fans are eager to see the clash between these two men.
