Dricus Du Plessis could help bring an Ultimate Fighting Championship event to his home country if he successfully defends his middleweight title on Saturday night.
The South Africa native will face Israel Adesanya in the UFC 305 main event at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Tension for the championship bout initially began to build last summer, when Du Plessis and Adesanya had a heated face-off in the Octagon at UFC 290. While it took some time for their grudge match to materialize, the stakes remain high heading into the bout.
“You have one of these situations where, both guys, everything is on the line, especially because they dislike each other so much,” UFC CEO Dana White said at the post-fight press conference for the Contender Series on Tuesday night. “And if [Du Plessus] can beat Izzy and bring that belt back to South Africa, obviously we’ll do an event there. And if Izzy can retain and win the title, it’s huge for him and his legacy — not retain, but regain.”
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!
White has teased bringing a UFC event to the continent in the past when the promotion boasted three champions with African roots: Adesanya, Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman. Du Plessis, meanwhile, has generated plenty of controversy with his past remarks about being the “real African” in the UFC. That remains a primary source of animosity between the reigning champion and Adesanya. White, for one, believes the bout will live up to the hype.
“Every time guys hate each other like this, the fight usually ends up sucking, but I have a really good feeling this one won’t,” White said. “You’re talking about, if you’re looking at what >Israel Adesanya has achieved in his life, not just here but in kickboxing too, and Dricus, he brings it, man. He comes.”
