OPINION: Dricus, fans still in dark about where UFC champ will next fight

It has been just over two months since South Africa’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis successfully defended his title and the question on all the fans’ lips now is, where will his next defence be?

This, after UFC president Dana White made the very bold claim that Du Plessis’ next fight will definitely be in South Africa, he seems to have made a U-turn after realising that this is a lot easier said than done.

The major issue here is South Africa does not have an indoor arena big enough to fulfil the needs of the UFC and while there are more than enough venues to host a successful event like this, the problem is they are all outdoor stadiums.

White has stated many times that an open-air stadium comes with way too many risks that could hamper an event that costs millions of dollars to put on.

Venue options

“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,” White said.

Now while this does not sit well with impatient fans, White does have very valid points.

A first African UFC event needs to be a massive success for obvious reasons.

Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie seems to realise this and is doing everything in his power to get this done.

An outrageous plan to put a temporary R30-million roof on Cape Town Stadium is one option that has been mentioned, with another being the erection of “a semi-permanent structure” at FNB Stadium in the coming weeks. What this is, no one knows, but McKenzie said he would have answers by the end of the month.

The one good thing for Du Plessis is he knows he will be taking on American Sean Strickland, again, for his next defence with Sydney touted as the replacement city if the event in South Africa does not materialise.

But regardless of where the fight takes place, one thing is for sure, the fans from across the globe will be watching in anticipation.