South African middleweight Dricus du Plessis is wasting no time getting back in the UFC octagon in his bid to climb the rankings. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Dricus du Plessis gets ‘No 1 contenders bout’ at UFC 290
Dana White has announced a blockbuster No 1 contender fight in the middleweight division involving Dricus Du Plessis.
South African middleweight Dricus du Plessis is wasting no time getting back in the UFC octagon in his bid to climb the rankings. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC president Dana White has announced a blockbuster No 1 contender fight in the middleweight division between former champion Robert Whittaker and South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis.
Du Plessis was thrust into the title picture after a war of words between himself and the champion Israel Adesanya.
ALSO READ: Dricus du Plessis plans to be ‘greatest middleweight of all time’
Dricus du Plessis gets ‘title contenders bout’
In a division that some feel is at risk of becoming a bit stale due to repeated fights between the same names, the prospect of a new face in that view clearly excites the UFC.
On Friday, White revealed that 24-6 Whittaker will take on Du Plessis who is 19-2 in all MMA and 5-0 in the UFC. The fighters have agreed to clash at UFC 290 on 8 July 2023. UFC 290 will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
ALSO READ: The UFC’s most Googled stars in 2023
White made it clear that the winner will be awarded a championship bout against current middleweight king Israel Adesanya.
Interestingly, White has announced that the title fight will go down at the UFC’s planned show in Sydney, Australia later this year.
ALSO READ: Israel Adesanya wants to whoop Dricus du Plessis’ ass in South Africa
“The winner of that fight will fight Adesanya later this year,” White said in a video posted to Twitter. “And that fight is targeted for Sydney, Australia.”
On the current UFC rankings, Whittaker holds the No 2 spot behind former champion Alex Peirera, who recently lost the strap in a high-profile rematch against Adesanya.
Moving up
Meanwhile Du Plessis is currently No 6 in the estimation of the UFC having briefly occupied the top five after his last victory.
Du Plessis was a champion in the South African-based EFC promotion and caught the eye of the top dogs in the MMA game, getting his first bout during the pandemic in the UAE.
He has made it known that he will be a ‘real African champion’ if he wins the belt as he still lives on the continent.
Adesanya has taken exception to those comments and is clearly motivated to put the upstart South African in his place.
