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.

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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.”

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

Internationaler Kampfkunst und Kampfsport Kleinanzeiger