UFC 297: Dricus Du Plessis Explains Why He Lost Interest In Fighting Israel Adesanya
Dricus Du Plessis has revealed the moment he knew he no longer cared about fighting Israel Adesanya.
The stage appeared to be set for a UFC 293 middleweight title fight between Adesanya and Du Plessis. Dricus had come off a second-round TKO finish over former 185-pound titleholder Robert Whittaker. Plans didn't come to fruition, however, as Du Plessis needed more time to recover from a foot injury.
Sean Strickland ended up taking Du Plessis' place and he ended up shocking Adesanya with a unanimous decision win. Now, Dricus Du Plessis will challenge Strickland for the middleweight gold at UFC 297 on January 20.
Jon Anik interviewed Du Plessis on behalf of ESPN MMA. During the sitdown chat, the UFC middleweight title challenger admitted that Strickland's win over Adesanya stole his interest in fighting "The Last Stylebender."
"A lot of people do ask me that, 'How did you make the mental shift to Strickland and not Izzy anymore?' And it was the easiest thing in the world. I'm not fixated on fighting anybody, I'm fixated on fighting for that title. As soon as Strickland won that belt Israel Adesanya became completely irrelevant to me. I never have to fight him. It's fine, I don't care. I care about becoming world champion and realizing my destiny."
If Du Plessis can defeat Strickland to capture UFC gold, it may convince Adesanya to end his hiatus to finally settle the grudge. There has been some bad blood between the two over African roots. Perhaps Du Plessis will start caring again down the line, but he must first handle business this Saturday.
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