Eugene Bareman, head coach for City Kickboxing and former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, previously told the combat sports media that 185-pound contender Dricus Du Plessis would have to “fight someone else” after passing on the UFC 293 headliner.
Apparently not.
Du Plessis (20-2) was recently booked to challenge current middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland atop the UFC 297 pay-per-view (PPV) card on Jan. 20 in Toronto, giving the 29 year-old “Stillknocks” the nod over undefeated division contender Khamzat Chimaev.
“What can I say, a fumble has never looked this good,” Du Plessis wrote on Twitter.
Du Plessis was rumored to be in the doghouse after turning down Adesanya at UFC 293, a decision that paved the way for Strickland to step in and dethrone “The Last Stylebender.”Working in the South African’s favor was the fact that Chimaev is dealing with a hand injury and still has visa issues.
In addition, Adesanya is taking an extended break and passed on the Strickland rematch.
Putting that drama aside, it’s also worth noting the No. 2-ranked Du Plessis earned his shot at the 185-pound title after winning eight straight fights and putting former champion, Robert Whittaker, on his keister at the UFC 290 PPV event last July.
Bag intact.