LAS VEGAS – Many expected to see Dricus Du Plessis challenge UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, yet that didn’t come to fruition.
With no fresh challengers currently on deck for Adesanya, it was a given to many that Du Plessis (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) was next in line for the title. He remains unbeaten in the UFC, is ranked highly, and has an ongoing beef with Adesanya. That’s usually a good recipe for getting a championship fight.
But to the surprise of many, Du Plessis was matched up against former champion Robert Whittaker for Saturday’s UFC 290. The booking was criticized by many fans and pundits, given that Whittaker (25-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) was expected to be a big favorite to beat Du Plessis, which was eventually reflected in the betting for the fight, thus unnecessarily eliminating a fresh contender.
