Reigning UFC middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, wants the promotion to stage his next 185-pound title defense in Africa.
Turns out, so does UFC CEO Dana White.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, the logistics of holding a major pay-per-view (PPV) event in that part of the world have proved to be challenging. That’s because the available venues are located outdoors — and we all know how “scary” that is for White.
“You know how bad I want this,” White told reporters after last night’s Contender Series. “I’ve been trying to get this thing done. The arena situation there is tough. It’s tough to pull off. So that’s been the challenge with Africa as a whole. We’re trying to figure it out. The place that we would have to do it at is outdoors, and you know how I feel about that. So I’ve been trying to figure out the weather and one of the big things that I’ve been hearing out there is that wind is a big problem. We’ve done it a couple times, but anything that could affect the outcome of the fight makes me not even want to try. And it’s anything … from wind, rain, bugs, too much humidity. A lot of things can interfere with the fight.”
If you build it, they will come.
White confirmed that former UFC middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, is next on the docket for Du Plessis. “Tarzan” dropped a close decision — and the strap — when he battled “Stillknocks” at UFC 297 earlier this year in Toronto.
Australia is expected to serve as backup in case UFC Africa falls through.