Midnight Mania: DDP Plans Strickland Vs. Whittaker Title Eliminator

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

After the UFC 305 kickoff press conference on Tuesday, the Middleweight division is back at the forefront of the MMA world. Scheduled August 17, 2024 from Perth, Australia, the main event is a bad-blood-fueled title fight between 185-pound champion Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.

The trash talk is already getting a little hairy.

Du Plessis vs. Adesanya comes at an interesting time. On one hand, it’s the obvious fight to make, a high-profile grudge match that was supposed to happen last year. Some extra time for the beef to simmer has only increased the intrigue, and it’s sure to move a lot of pay-per-view (PPV) buys. At the same time, “Stylebender” has lost two of his last three, whereas fellow former champions Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker are already in the win column.

Consequently, Strickland and Whittaker both want the next shot at gold after UFC 305. According to the current champion, the obvious solution is to book the duo … even though Strickland is busy swearing up and down that he will not fight again unless it’s for the belt.

“People want to see me and Strickland do the rematch,” Du Plessis explained when asked which man he’d rather rematch. “They make the most noise, the Strickland fans. Either one of them. At the end of the day, I’m here to fight the best guys. I’m here to do the biggest fights, the fights the fans want to see.

“In my opinion, how I see this playing out, you cannot not do the Whittaker vs. Strickland fight. I think that’s the fight that needs to happen. It’s just a fight that makes so much sense. that’s the fight on its own, you can main event it on any card. I honestly think that’s how it’s gonna play out.”

Really, “DDP” is in an interesting spot. If victorious at UFC 305, he’ll have defeated three out of the last four Middleweight champions, as well as the top three ranked men in his division. Of course, Adesanya could throw a wrench in his matchmaking with a victory, and Khamzat Chimaev could be waiting in the wings too … if he’s ever healthy.

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Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.