UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis thinks a win over Israel Adesanya will put him into the GOAT conversation at middleweight.
Du Plessis is undefeated in the UFC and coming off a decision win over Sean Strickland to win the middleweight title. Heading into his first title defense at UFC 305 in Australia against Adesanya, he believes a win over the former champ will help cement his legacy as an all-time great.
“I’ve always looked at Israel Adesanya as the benchmark,” Du Plessis told Fox West Texas. “Now, ‘Izzy’ became a champion a long time ago, and I’ve looked at him and always knew this is where I need to be if I ever want to be the best in the world. This is the benchmark.
“He is one of the greatest to ever do it, and this fight for me is going to put me in that position. This is where I take over as one of the greatest to ever do it. This is where my years of building and climbing that ladder is going to a point where I am now the guy that’s one of the greatest to ever do it.”
Although Du Plessis believes he can enter the GOAT conversation with a win over Adesanya, the South African will need several more title defenses to be considered the 185lbs GOAT due to the reign of Anderson Silva. But, beating Adesanya no doubt puts him on the right track.
Dricus Du Plessis says Israel Adesanya will prove he belongs
Although Dricus Du Plessis enters his UFC 305 fight as the middleweight champion, he knows people are overlooking him and counting him out.
With that, Dricus Du Plessis says his fight will prove to everyone just how good he is and prove he is the legit champion.
“He’s a very smart fighter,” du Plessis said on Adesanya. “He figures out his opponents, and he sets a lot of traps. He does it incredibly well. So, for me, this fight is just like how beating Robert Whittaker was. It’s a fight that people don’t think you’re going to win. It’s a hard fight.
“I’m fighting against arguably one of the greatest middleweights ever, and I have to go out there and prove that I am that guy. That’s what this fight is going to mean to me. It’s going to mean I told you I belong here. This fight is going to mean that Dricus du Plessis is now in the conversation of being one of the greatest middleweights ever,” Du Plessis said.
Du Plessis is 21-2 as a pro and is coming off a split decision win over Sean Strickland to become the middleweight champion. He’s 7-0 in the UFC and has notable wins over Robert Whittaker, Darren Till, Derek Brunson, and Brad Tavares.