“You don’t dictate when I fight,” UFC champ Dricus Du Plessis FIRES BACK at Israel Adesanya for spreading UFC 300 ducking rumors

Dricus Du Plessis took shots at Israel Adeanya for the continued ducking rumors spread by Stylebender and his camp.

“You don’t dictate when I fight,” UFC champ Dricus Du Plessis FIRES BACK at Israel Adesanya for spreading UFC 300 ducking rumors

Dricus Du Plessis claims he will defend his title when he is ready (via Imago)

Dricus Du Plessis is the new owner of the middleweight gold. The new champion took aim at Israel Adesanya for spreading rumors that he ducked a potential UFC 300 title fight. He recently set the record straight during an interview.

Du Plessis recently claimed that a championship match vs. Adesanya was considered for UFC 300. However, he opted against such a short turnaround. This was following his challenging title win over Sean Strickland in January. This is what he said:

It was on the table, 100 percent, but one thing people don't realize is why would I go and start a camp once again, injured if I am the champion? I think Izzy misjudges himself as still being a champion and he’s not. You will fight when you get the opportunity, you don’t dictate when I fight.
Dricus Du Plessis via Cameron Saaiman YouTube
YouTube video

The South African star made it clear he was the champion now. As such, he could give himself more time till he returned. Dricus Du Plessis took a swipe at his rival Adesanya. He reminded “The Last Stylebender” that he was no longer the champion calling the shots.

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Tensions between the two middleweights had simmered since Du Plessis’s win over Robert Whittaker. Since then, Adesanya claimed Du Plessis consistently dodged him. However, Du Plessis refuted those accusations and insisted he simply wanted full recovery time. 

Israel Adesanya revealed that Dricus Du Plessis turned down UFC 300 headliner

Israel Adesanya recently opened up about the missed opportunity to headline UFC 300 against Dricus Du Plessis. The former longtime 185-pound king revealed he was offered and accepted the marquee fight in Las Vegas.

Israel Adesanya revealed that Dricus Du Plessis had turned down UFC 300 headliner
Israel Adesanya revealed that Dricus Du Plessis had turned down UFC 300 headliner (via MMA Fighting)

Adesanya revealed that Du Plessis’s team declined the UFC 300 booking. He confirmed this while appearing on the This Past Weekend podcast with Theo Von. The Nigerian-born star speculated Du Plessis had injuries from his title win over Sean Strickland. He highlighted his own history of competing through injuries in recent years. Adesanya felt it was part of the job for elite fighters like himself.

Du Plessis now appeared set on returning when fully prepared. That cautious approach seemingly led to passing on the UFC 300 opportunity against Adesanya. The Las Vegas headliner will now feature Alex Pereira, who will fight Jamahal Hill for the light heavyweight title.

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