A middleweight matchup between former UFC champion Robert Whittaker and streaking contender Dricus Du Plessis has been booked for UFC 290 on July 8 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This is according to a recent social media post by UFC president, Dana White. Per White, the winner of Whittaker vs. Du Plessis will get the next title shot against current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya later this year at an event currently being targeted for Sydney, Australia.
White’s announcement can be seen below:
Put another one together last night!!! @robwhittakermma @dricusduplessis #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/bczWzJo4b6
— danawhite (@danawhite) April 21, 2023
Whittaker, 32, has been the best middleweight on the planet not named Adesanya over the past five years. The former 185-pound champion has lost twice to Adesanya, but Whittaker is 12-0 in the division outside of those matchups. He’s coming off a dominant decision win over Marvin Vettori in Sept. 2022 and would offer another great challenge for “Last Stylebender” if he can get past Du Plessis this July.
Du Plessis, 29, has taken the UFC by storm since his debut back in 2020. The South-African fighter hasn’t wiped the floor with the competition, but Du Plessis remains undefeated inside the Octagon with a 5-0 record. That includes stoppages over Derek Brunson, Darren Till, and Trevin Giles. A victory over Whittaker would be more than enough for “Stillknocks” to lock down his first official UFC title shot.
Thoughts on this matchup?
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