“Israel Adesanya would be my first choice,” Dricus Du Plessis suspects Dana White’s UFC to push Khamzat Chimaev super fight after UFC 297 win

Dricus Du Plessis expresses his eagerness to face Israel Adesanya for his first title defense, but anticipates the UFC may prioritize Khamzat Chimaev in the middleweight division.

“Israel Adesanya would be my first choice,” Dricus Du Plessis suspects Dana White’s UFC to push Khamzat Chimaev super fight after UFC 297 win

Dricus Du Plessis on potential opponents Israel Adesanya and Khamzat Chimaev (Image via: IMAGO)

Dricus Du Plessis recently gave an interview to Submission Radio where he discussed the state of the middleweight division. The South African fighter was very unfortunate to not fight at UFC 293. In his stead, Sean Strickland fought Israel Adesanya in the event and became the champion. Now, in the interview, Du Plessis laid out what the UFC and Dana White plan with Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight.

Du Plessis laid out his plans and the UFC’s plans at middleweight in the interview. This is what he said:

I would still love to fight Israel Adesanya, 100%. It would be my first choice as a defense to fight him. It would be great. But I'm assuming Khamzat's the guy they're going to try and push, so you know, that'll be cool.
Dricus Du Plessis via Submission Radio
YouTube video

Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya had a face-off at UFC 290 when Du Plessis defeated Robert Whitaker. Their rivalry is due to their shared African heritage even though they are of different races. Du Plessis wants Adesanya as his first title defense after UFC 297. However, he thinks the UFC will give the next title shot to Khamzat Chimaev.

Khamzat Chimaev’s last fight happened at UFC 294 when he defeated Kamaru Usman. Originally slated to fight Paulo Costa, Chimaev ultimately fought Kamaru Usman, who came in on 10-days notice after Costa withdrew. Chimaev suffered a ligament injury during the fight he won by majority decision.

Related: “If Pereira can, I can do better!” Dricus du Plessis draws inspiration from Alex Pereira’s KO against Sean Strickland to take middleweight belt to South Africa

Dricus Du Plessis finds similarities with upcoming opponent Sean Strickland

Dricus Du Plessis is a slight underdog in his upcoming fight against Sean Strickland. However, in his recent victory against Robert Whitaker, he was a big underdog. If victorious at UFC 297, Du Plessis will become the first African-residing champion in the UFC.

Dricus Du Plessis talked about his opponent Sean Strickland
Dricus Du Plessis talked about his opponent Sean Strickland (Source: IMAGO)

During the interview with Submission Radio on YouTube, Du Plessis talked about the similarities he has with Strickland. This is what he said:

There's so much wrong with how he (Sean Strickland) fights, this and, you know, so many people can say that about me too. There's so much wrong with how we do it, and how I do it, but it works.

Dricus Du Plessis has an awkward style, which is good, according to Sean Strickland. On the other hand, Strickland has a style that is boxing-centric with shoulder roles. Both styles are not suitable for MMA, according to many. Nevertheless, both have found a way to make their style effective. It has also made the UFC 297 main event a must-watch for the fans.

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