Dana White says he will bring the UFC to South Africa if Dricus du Plessis can defend his title against bitter rival Israel Adesanya in Perth, Australia on Sunday.
UFC 305 will be the first time Du Plessis defends his middleweight title after becoming the first South African world champion at UFC 297 when he beat Sean Strickland in Toronto in January.
Strickland and Du Plessis went the full five rounds, and the South African was adjudged the winner by a single point to dethrone the then champion, extending his record to 7-0 in the UFC and 21-2 overall.
“If he [Dricus] can beat Izzy, and bring that belt back to South Africa, we will do an event there. But if Izzy can win back the belt, he can retain his legacy,” said White.
Dana White confirms that if Dricus du Plessis was to defend his title at UFC 305, than the UFC would hold an event in South Africa🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦
— Sidney (@NoRageSidney) August 14, 2024
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In July last year at UFC 290, there had been existing tension between the pair as Du Plessis had said he will become the first “born, bred and trained African champion", which the Nigerian-born champion Adesanya, who now lives and trains in New Zealand (and who was middleweight champion at the time) clearly didn’t like.
During a heated exchange after the SA fighter won his fight at the event, Adesanya farcically suggested Du Plessis do a DNA test to find out “just how African he is”.
“Every time guys hate each other, the fight ends up sucking. But I have a really good feeling this one won’t,” said White.
“If you look what Israel Adesanya has achieved in his life, not just here, but kick-boxing too ... Dricus, he brings it man, he comes.
“Everything is on the line, especially because they hate each other so much.”
Adesanya competes for the first time since losing the belt to Strickland last September in Sydney in an uncharacteristically flat effort.
The 35-year-old has rebounded from previous losses in impressive fashion, most recently reclaiming the middleweight strap by knocking out Alex Pereira last April at UFC 287, so it will be fascinating to see how Adesanya responds here.
The future of the middleweight division hinges on this fight, at least for the time being.
If Du Plessis wins, it ushers in a new era at the top of the division, cementing the 30-year-old as the top man in the middleweight ranks and opening the doors to a host of fresh match-ups and possibilities.
If Adesanya is victorious, he’ll become the first man to hold the middleweight title thrice, returning to a throne he first claimed nearly five years ago.
* Additional reporting by the UFC
@JohnGoliath82