Dricus Du Plessis Shifts Focus to Sean Strickland After UFC 293 Upset

In the aftermath of Sean Strickland’s spectacular upset victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, the South African contender Dricus Du Plessis is making his intentions clear. While a highly anticipated grudge match between Du Plessis and Adesanya had been brewing, the tables have turned.

Du Plessis took to social media to declare his immediate goal – to challenge the new middleweight champion, Sean Strickland. In a bold statement, he wrote,

“Myself and [Strickland] had the biggest upsets of 2023, and I am undoubtedly the No. 1 contender, so let’s settle this like men whenever, wherever. After that, I’ll give [Adesanya] his well-deserved hiding on my home soil, South Africa.”

The South African fighter had solidified his claim to a title shot with a dominant second-round TKO victory over former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 in July. This impressive win extended Du Plessis’ UFC record to 6-0 and his overall professional record to an impressive 20-2.

A showdown between Du Plessis and Adesanya seemed inevitable when they had a heated confrontation inside the cage immediately following Du Plessis’ victory over Whittaker. However, a setback occurred when an injury prevented Du Plessis from taking on Adesanya at UFC 293, which ultimately led to Strickland stepping in.

Now, Du Plessis is focused on defeating Strickland and earning the right to face Adesanya at a later date. He made it clear that he aims to face the best version of Adesanya, saying,

“That being said, don’t want to beat the amateur that fought on Saturday night. I want to beat the best [Adesanya], so take some time and get your shit together.”

While Du Plessis appears determined to challenge Strickland for the title, UFC President Dana White has expressed interest in an immediate rematch between Strickland and Adesanya, setting the stage for intriguing developments in the middleweight division.