Dricus Du Plessis plans to push Robert Whittaker to the brink at UFC 290.
Du Plessis (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) meets Whittaker (24-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) on the July 8 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. South Africa’s Du Plessis has finished all but one of his professional wins and is coming off back-to-back stoppages of former title challenger Darren Till and perennial middleweight contender Derek Brunson. He knows he’ll be facing a game opponent in former champ Whittaker, but is confident he can put him away too.
“I’m going out there to finish,” Du Plessis told The Schmo. “On my record, you can see I’m not going out there to chase decisions. I’m going out there to finish Robert Whittaker. I think it’s gonna be one heck of a fight. At the end of the day, he has a lot of dog, I have a lot of dog, and we’ll see who’s the biggest dog. At the end of the day, I know that’s me always, every single time.”
Du Plessis has caught middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s attention and knows what a win over Whittaker could do for his career. UFC 290 will mark the third time Du Plessis has been featured in the promotion’s summer blockbuster event, and he said that’s no accident.
“This is my third International Fight Week in a row, so it’s great,” Du Plessis said. “Being trusted with the performances, being trusted with the big shows, that’s what you want, that’s what you need. The UFC knows who puts on the good fights, and it’s great for us to be representing.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
