Linked with an August comeback against former champion, Israel Adesanya later this summer at UFC 305, defending middleweight titleholder, Dricus du Plessis maintains that when he wants to “summon” the former to share the Octagon with him – he will do so, following a failed pairing at UFC 300 this weekend.
du Plessis, the current undisputed middleweight champion, won divisional spoils back in January atop UFC 297, handing common-foe, Sean Strickland a controversial split decision defeat in the pair’s grudge fight.
As for City Kickboxing staple, Adesanya, the former two-time gold holder has been sidelined since last September, dropping a championship fight to the above-mentioned, Strickland in a surprising decision shutout out the outspoken ex-champion.
Vetoing a potential UFC 300 title fight with the Nigerian-Kiwi this weekend as he continues to deal with lingering injuries from his fight with Strickland, Pretoria native, du Plessis is targeted to fight Adesanya in Perth as soon as August – with the pair potentially lined up to take main event honors at UFC 305.
Dricus du Plessis vows to “summon” Israel Adesanya when he wants
Commenting on a potential fight with Adesanya in August as well as how a bout was scrapped for this weekend’s pay-per-view return, du Plessis claimed he would “summon” the ex-champion for a fight whenever he so pleased.
“…Once you get the title, you don’t have to make those risks, because it’s not an opportunity, it’s an opportunity for the contender, not mine,” Dricus du Plessis told during an appearance on the Shadow Banned podcast. “I declined fighting. It was with a heavy heart I had to decline UFC 300 because what an amazing privilege it is to be headlining that card.”
“But Izzy (Israel Adesanya) saying he’s been summoned, no,” Dricus du Plessis explained. “You are summoned when I say you’re summoned.”
Who wins in a future title fight: Dricus du Plessis or Israel Adesanya?