UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis has his sights set on two-time champion status, but not before completing his deal at 185 pounds.
Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) is currently linked to defending his title against Israel Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC), potentially on August 17th at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.
A crucial clash between middleweights Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Robert Whittaker compete in the main attraction of UFC on ABC 6, on June 22, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. If Chimaev emerges victorious, Du Plessis hopes to face him if he is successful against Adesanya.
For Du Plessis, adding wins over Adesanya and Chimaev to his resume makes him worthy of a shot at light heavyweight gold.
“I believe that beating Adesanya – if Khamzat beats Whittaker, beats Khamzat, that will guarantee him a spot at light heavyweight,” Du Plessis said in “The Sias du Plessis Show.” “Because then if you look at the big guys, the bogeyman that everyone seems to be afraid of in Khamzat, I would love that fight. Fighting Izzy (Adesanya), beating Izzy, one of the best middleweights of all time, and defeating Robert Whittaker, one of the other best middleweights, which gives him this spot.
“But like I said, I had no problem defending my belt a few times before this. For now, my focus is 100% on this middleweight division and my next fight, which will most likely be Israel Adesanya, and that’s where all my focus is. Obviously this is in my trajectory, but none of the other plans can work without it.”
Before the UFC, Du Plessis was a two-time EFC champion, winning the welterweight and middleweight titles.
