It appears that Israel
Adesanya
will have a chance to regain the
Ultimate Fighting Championship
middleweight crown later this
year.

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“The Last Stylebender” announced on social media that he will face
reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du
Plessis
at UFC 305
in Perth on Aug. 17. Du Plessis subsequently confirmed the news in
a series of posts on his Instagram Stories. UFC CEO Dana White
later confirmed the pairing during an appearance on „The Jim Rome
Show“ on Monday.

Adesanya and Du Plessis were initially expected to lock horns at
UFC 293 last September, but Du Plessis was not healthy enough to
compete due to injuries suffered in a stoppage win against Robert
Whittaker
at UFC 290 two months prior. Adesanya would instead
defend his belt against Sean
Strickland
, losing a unanimous decision in one of the biggest
upsets of 2023. The Nigerian-born Kiwi was victorious in his first
12 Octagon appearances at 185 pounds before dropping fights to
Strickland and Alex
Pereira
in two of his last three outings.

Du Plessis captured the middleweight crown with a split-decision
triumph against Strickland at UFC 297 on Jan. 20. The former KSW
title holder has won his last nine professional outings, a streak
that includes seven triumphs under the UFC banner.

Editor’s Note: This item was updated at approximately 3:26 p.m.
ET to include confirmation from UFC CEO Dana White.

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

Internationaler Kampfkunst und Kampfsport Kleinanzeiger