Dricus Du Plessis was finally getting a momentum going thanks to the upset win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. While the public was all set to see DDP and Adesanya resolve their issues in the cage, UFC might’ve been targeting the clash for September.
According to Ariel Helwani’s Twitter report, Du Plessis may not be able to compete in the upcoming event, and Sean Strickland will replace him on the September 9 card.
“It’s not quite official but pretty close at this point that Dricus Du Plessis will not be able to fight Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 on Sept. 9 in Sydney. He was banged up going into the Robert Whittaker fight, and that turnaround is just too soon, I’m told. If that ends up being the case, and Israel Adesanya stays on the card, which is his desire, it’ll be Adesanya x Sean Strickland for the middleweight title on 9/9.”
The situation has led to a heated exchange between Adesanya and Du Plessis, with Adesanya calling out the South African for backing out due to a foot issue. Adesanya posted a video on social media, challenging Strickland to “The Man Dance” in September.
“I don’t even know how to start this, Dricus Du Pu*sy… You a bi*ch, that’s why you’re not taking this fight. Your foot’s sore… You’re out. Strickland, you’re in. Let’s do ‘The Man Dance.’ I’ll show you how to really dance.”
The beef between Adesanya and Du Plessis stems from their intense face-off after UFC 290, where Adesanya secured a middleweight title shot with an impressive knockout victory over Robert Whittaker. Du Plessis had made some dismissive comments about being more “African” than Adesanya, Usman, and Ngannou, adding a racial undertone to their rivalry.
In his last, Adesanya reclaimed his middleweight title by defeating Alex Pereira at UFC 287. On the other hand, Sean Strickland is on a two win streak over unranked opponents defeating Abus Magomedov and Imavov. Strickland expressed his desire for a title shot after his latest victory, and now it appears he might get the opportunity.