‘I might give it to between Costa and Khamzat,’ Israel Adesanya and Dana White rule out Dricus Du Plessis chances of title shot next after South African’s back out from UFC 293

Dricus Du Plessis' decision to not fight at UFC 293 might get him into trouble with the UFC. He might need to win once more to get the title shot.

‘I might give it to between Costa and Khamzat,’ Israel Adesanya and Dana White rule out Dricus Du Plessis chances of title shot next after South African’s back out from UFC 293

Israel Adesanya might pick Khamzat Chimaev instead of Dricus Du Plessis (via Imago)

Dricus Du Plessis had the opportunity to face Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. Adesanya will face Sean Strickland at UFC 293 as Du Plessis pulled out due to an injury. The injury was sustained before his UFC 290 bout with Robert Whitaker. Dana White and the champion were on the same page about Du Plessis getting the next title shot.

“The Last Stylebender” and the number one ranked South African have an existing beef. This was in relation to their allegiance to the continent of Africa. The animosity brewed into what culminated in the cringy face-off at UFC 290. During the media day interview, Adesanya was asked about Du Plessis not fighting, to which he replied, “He might have to fight two more times before he gets a shot at this. He does not call the shots. I need you to understand this. I call the shot di**less, if i decide to, i might give it to the winner of Costa and Khamzat”.

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Dana White, at the media scrum post the Contender Series, expressed unhappiness with DuPlessis not fighting Adesanya at UFC 293. With Adesanya looking at the winner of Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev as the next title defense, the future looks grim for Dricus Du Plessis.

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One fighter flying under the radar is Ikram Aliskerov. Aliskerov has only lost once in his professional MMA career, and it came against Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev was unable to take Aliskerov down in their fight. The fight ended when a right uppercut from Chimaev knocked Aliskerov out. Aliskerov is set to face Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 294.

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Eugene Bareman sides with Israel Adesanya on Dricus Du Plessis not getting the next title shot

Dricus Du Plessis

The head coach of City Kickboxing is also in line with Israel Adesanya‘s opinion of Dricus Du Plessis fumbling the bag. In an interview with Submission Radio, Eugene Bareman was adamant that the South African fighter would have to fight one more before fighting for the title.

Bareman is fairly tight with Adesanya and is thus privy to information regarding what goes behind closed doors regarding fight business. Asking a fighter to fight in two months after fighting Robert Whitaker is a tall task. A victory over a number one contender will surely grant a title shot, but this is the UFC. Rankings don’t amount to much; circumstances matter much more.

Many analysts think that the UFC 293 fight card lacks a strong card to support champion Adesanya. The fight card is currently deemed the worst pay-per-view event in 2023, along with UFC 289. Or else it might be a sign that the UFC thinks highly of “The Last Stylebender.”

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