Dricus du Plessis aiming for May UFC return, wants Israel Adesanya 'on home soil' - ESPN

07.03.2024 - 20:03 espn.com

PRETORIA, South Africa — UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis told ESPN he is expecting to be ready to fight by mid-2024, and reiterated his desire to face Nigeria-born New Zealander Israel Adesanya in South Africa. 'Stillknocks' Du Plessis injured both legs in his January UFC 297 fight against Sean Strickland, which he won by split decision to claim the title, a first UFC Championship for a South African fighter. «I'll be ready for June [or] July — I guess even [in] May, I'll be fit and ready to go.

I just want to be able to have a proper camp… I would like to fight three times a year. That would be ideal, so June [or] July would be ideal,» Du Plessis told ESPN at his CIT gym in Pretoria.

Although he has previously said on fellow UFC fighter Cameron Saaiman's "MSP Show" that Adesanya cannot dictate his timeline to return to the Octagon, and thus put his title on the line, he still views the Lagos-born fighter as his dream opponent. «Absolutely,» du Plessis told ESPN when asked if a title fight with Adesanya in Cape Town was his dream faceoff. «Fighting Izzy on home soil would be the ideal.

That would be ticking a lot of boxes. He's one of the best to ever do it in the middleweight division. »Of course, bringing the UFC to Africa would be awesome.

Sporting Fighting ESPN UPS rights Dreams Sean Strickland Du Plessis South Africa New Zealand Nigeria Israel

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