PERTH, Australia – UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis wants to give the fans their desired matchups.
In his first title defense, Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) faces Israel Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in a grudge match, which headlines Saturday’s UFC 305 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) event at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Dana White said Sean Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) deserves the next title shot. Even though Du Plessis just beat Strickland at UFC 297, he’d be open to running things back with him if that’s the fight offered with a win over Adesanya.
However, Du Plessis thinks the middleweight bout between former champ Robert Whittaker (26-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) and Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) at UFC 308 should also be in play.
“The Whittaker-Khamzat fight, I honestly thought was going to be it, but I honestly don’t care,” Du Plessis said at Wednesday’s UFC 305 media day. “I’m here to beat whoever – the fight the people want to see. That’s why this fight is so great for me, that we’re fighting Israel Adesanya, because most people in the fight world want to see myself vs. Israel Adesanya. That’s the fight that people want to see, and that is, at the end of the day, what we do. We entertain the people, we entertain the crowd, and entertain the people that buy the tickets, buy the pay-per-views.”
Du Plessis broke down the perks and disadvantages of a potential fight against either Strickland, Chimaev, or Whittaker next.
“I don’t mind fighting either one of those (three) – Strickland, Khamzat, or Whittaker. All three of those fighters have the pros and cons. Fighting Strickland, a lot of people what to see it, but it’s a rematch. But if that’s the decision of the UFC, great, let’s go for it.
“Fighting Khamzat, he’s never been beaten. It’s going to be a massive fight just in terms of numbers. Great, let’s do it.
“Fighting Whittaker, the all-time legend Robert Whittaker – but it’s a rematch. So there’s pros and cons in fighting any of these three guys. For me, the most important part is fighting the best next guy.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.
