Israel Adesanya, former UFC middleweight champion and one of the biggest stars in MMA, announced his next fight on social media.
Adesanya is getting a chance to become a three-time UFC middleweight champion as he will take on Dricus Du Duplessis on August 17 at UFC 305.
UFC CEO Dana White confirmed it in a conversation with Jim Rome hours later.
Adesanya vs. Du Plessis at UFC 305: How Did We Get Here?
Du Plessis is the reigning UFC champion after eeking out a split-decision victory over Sean Strickland in January at UFC 298. Strickland upset Adesanya at UFC 293 in September 2023 but lost his title in his first defense against Du Plessis in a controversial decision.
Strickland seems set to face the winner of the Adesanya-Du Plessis scrap sometime in the fourth quarter of 2024 or the first quarter of 2025.
Du Plessis and Adesanya have engaged in a bitter war of words over the past few years. Their rivalry goes beyond the competition associated with being top fighters in a weight class.
The Du Plessis-Adesanya beef connects with their heritage. Adesanya is Nigerian, and Du Plessis is South African. Du Plessis has called himself the “first real African champion” in the UFC, which would discredit the accomplishments of fighters like Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou while ignoring their heritage.
The tension could be thick during every pre-fight event, especially during faceoffs.
Some could legitimately argue that Strickland should have gotten a chance to regain his title from Du Plessis before Adesanya was allowed a shot at Du Plessis.
However, because the first Strickland-Du Plessis fight was so close, there is a good chance the former would win the rematch. That result would impact the chances of ever seeing Du Plessis-Adesanya, and because of their history, it’s probably the biggest fight that can be made in the middleweight division.
Perhaps UFC matchmakers didn’t want to risk losing the fight while it was potentially at its peak interest.
UFC 305, Date, Card, and Location Info
UFC 305 takes place in Perth, Australia, where Adesanya should be a massive fan favorite. Adesanya lives in New Zealand and trains at the City Kickboxing gym.
The event will take place at the RAC Arena, with early prelims expected to start at 6 p.m. ET. While unofficial, the supporting card ahead of Adesanya-Du Plessis has Kai Kara France facing Steve Erceg in a battle of top flyweight contenders.
The winner could be next for a title shot or perhaps in a position to welcome Amir Albazi back after his recovery from a neck injury.
There’s also Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes at lightweight and Casey O’Neill vs. Tereza Bledá. Stay tuned for more information on the card as it becomes available.
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