Israel Adesanya is back and he’s coming for the title once again. Adesanya announced on Monday that he will face UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 305 from RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on Aug. 17. The champ confirmed the fight in his Instagram stories but the fight has not officially been confirmed by UFC.
The fight marks Adesanya’s first since he dropped the middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in a listless performance. Adesanya held the title from October 2019 until November 2022 when he lost to Alex Pereira by knockout. Adesanya scored his own knockout in the rematch to become the first two-time middleweight champion in UFC history.
Adesanya is now on a quest to become a three-time champion while also having the opportunity to finally face du Plessis after a years-long rivalry.
The rivalry between the two hit a new level after du Plessis won a title eliminator against Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Adesanya entered the cage for a staredown and words were exchanged. The two then were expected to meet at UFC 293 but du Plessis was dealing with a leg injury, leading Strickland to step in instead.
After Strickland took the title off Adesanya, du Plessis took out Strickland in a close battle at UFC 297.
The rivalry between du Plessis and Adesanya has taken some ugly turns at times, including arguments over who was the “real” African, with Strickland a South African and Adesanya born in Nigeria before his family eventually relocated to New Zealand.
