UFC The middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis informed ESPN that he anticipates being prepared for a fight around mid-2024, and he expressed again his wish to challenge Israel Adesanya, who was born in Nigeria and raised in New Zealand, in South Africa.
‘Stillknocks’ Du Plessis sustained leg injuries in his January UFC 297 match against Sean Strickland, which he won by split decision to secure the title, marking the first UFC Championship for a South African fighter.
“I’ll be ready for June (or) July – maybe even in May, I’ll be fit and prepared to compete. I just want to have a proper training camp… I would like to fight three times a year. That would be perfect, so June (or) July would be ideal,” Du Plessis informed ESPN.
Although he previously stated on fellow UFC fighter Cameron Saaiman’s “MSP Show” that Adesanya cannot determine when he returns to the Octagon and puts his title on the line, he still considers the Lagos-born fighter to be his desired opponent.
“Absolutely,” du Plessis told ESPN when asked if a title fight with Adesanya in Cape Town was his dream matchup.
“Facing Izzy on home turf would be the perfect scenario. That would fulfill many objectives. He is one of the best in the middleweight division.
“Naturally, bringing the UFC to Africa would be fantastic. It would be a triumph for MMA and for Africa in itself. Of course, given that South Africa is my homeland, it would be incredible to fight him on home soil.”
While he praised Adesanya's abilities in the Octagon, du Plessis did not speak as highly of his demeanor outside of it. The two have been in conflict since Du Plessis claimed that he and Saaiman aimed to become the UFC’s true African champions, alluding to Adesanya growing up in New Zealand.
“Did those belts ever go to Africa? As far as I know, they came to America and New Zealand. I’m going to take a belt to Africa,” he said at a media day commenting on titles won by Francis Ngannou, Kamaru Usman and Adesanya.
