Israel Adesanya will return from hiatus to fight Dricus Du Plessis in Australia for UFC 305, according to reports

With Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya likely heading to Perth, the All-African grudge match firms as a main event for UFC 305's fight card.

Israel Adesanya will return from hiatus to fight Dricus Du Plessis in Australia for UFC 305, according to reports

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya is supposedly in the works for UFC 305 (Source: IMAGO/Instagram)

Can Israel Adesanya finally have his shot back at the middleweight gold soon? More so, will the former titleholder bounce back to active status in a near-future PPV card? That is the question every MMA fan and enthusiast has. Ranging back from UFC 293, it’s been half a year since the title gold changed hands. South African Dricus Du Plessis currently has it; Adesanya wants it. All he needs is a date.

Du Plessis edged out former champ Sean Strickland after a relatively short run at UFC 297. UFC has long projected ‘The Last Stylebender’ as his next future title fight. Veteran welterweight Michael Chiesa, who shares the same management as the champ, told Dan Hellie and Rashad Evans for ESPN MMA that it was already in the works as a probable headliner for April.

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Israel Adesanya confirmed it too later. While ‘Stillknocks’ was ready to fight anyone for his maiden defense at 185 pounds, he needed time for healing and camp. Now, the NZ Herald (@nzherald) has picked up on renewed buzz that Dricus Du Plessis vs. Adesanya might be on the books to headline UFC 305 in Perth. The promotion goes to ‘land down under’ in August.

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Nick Walshaw (@nickwalshaw) of Fox Sports AU branch reported on the blockbuster UFC grudge match for the two-event deal with the West Australian Government. UFC 305’s Pay-Per-View at RAC Arena will probably see a host of local scrum/fighters, except for Robert Whittaker. Eugene Bareman told the Herald that it remains to be seen if UFC conforms to such plans.

UFC 305: Road back to title

South African phenom Dricus Du Plessis edged out previous champ Sean Strickland (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to bag his title gold. En route to the title shot, he has had notable wins against Markus Perez, Trevin Giles, Brad Tavares, Darren Till, Derek Brunson, and Robert Whittaker.

He boasts of being the “true” African champion, alluding to Israel Adesanya leaving for New Zealand. It instigated a feud between them. The duo were set to meet at UFC 293, but Adesanya faced ‘Tarzan’ instead.

Newly minted champ Dricus Du Plessis versus Israel Adesanya for the middleweight gold
Newly minted champ Dricus Du Plessis versus Israel Adesanya for the middleweight gold (Source: Instagram @dricusduplessis/IMAGO)

Adesanya hasn’t competed since losing his hardware at UFC 293 in this clash. After that, while meeting boxing veteran Roberto Duran at Riyadh Season Opening Ceremony, he told The MacLife and other media scrum of a self-imposed hiatus. He wasn’t to return until 2027.

However, Auckland’s City Kickboxing coach Eugene Bareman nudged differently. NZ-born Bareman regulates a plethora of fighters like Kai Kara France, Dan Hooker, and former champ Adesanya. He told the Herald that the fighter was desperate for the title shot.

With Du Plessis perfectly setting up the stage for a ‘Real African’ fight, they now seem to be closing in on such a face-off. In recent memory, he had already gotten a call out from Adesanya. Now, he nudges that he is up for that challenge as well. Du Plessis says that the matchup would make sense when compared to popular demand.

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