Dricus du Plessis of South Africa celebrates after winning his bout against Israel Adesanya of Nigeria during their middleweight title bout at UFC 305 at RAC Arena in Perth on Sunday. Picture: EPA-EFE/Richard Wainwright
Who’s next in line to challenge South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis for his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title?
The South African took care of business in devastating fashion at the RAC Arena, submitting Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya through a rear naked choke in the fourth round.
For Du Plessis — who completed his first successful title defense at UFC 305 in Perth on Sunday — it really doesn’t matter.
Currently the list consists of three former middleweight champions, two of which Du Plessis has already fought against, and beaten.
The man seemingly on top of that list is American Sean Strickland, the man who Du Plessis took the title from back in January.
“If Strickland is the next fight and that is the fight that everyone wants to see, then that is the next fight that I want,” Du Plessis said at the UFC 305 post match press conference Sunday.
Then there is current light heavyweight champion, Brazilian Alex Pereira, who has said he will drop down to middleweight again to take on the South African.
“If he (Pereira) wants to come down to 185 pounds from 205 pounds then great, but then if he loses then the excuse of cutting too much weight comes into the picture, and that is not something I want,” said the champion referring to the size of the Brazilian, who in all likelihood will lose power if he has to cut 20 pounds to make middleweight.
“Let me handle my business and you handle yours, then you don’t have to cut the weight so you have some sort of excuse, and I will come up to 205 and we will sort it out then.”
And finally on that list is the man that Du Plessis feels is the most deserving of the three to get a title shot and that is future UFC hall of famer, New Zealand’s Robert Whittaker.
“Robert Whittaker has been done over. He takes a short notice fight and makes his opponent look like an amateur. And what does he get for it? Nothing.”
“But that is not on me. He (Whittaker) is more deserving but life is not fair. So I will fight whoever,” he explained.
But whoever is next in line, let’s hope Du Plessis gets what UFC president Dana White promised last week — a title fight in South Africa.
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