The UFC president, Dana White, has finally confirmed who the current middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, will fight next. Through a social media post, White has made it clear that Dricus Du Plessis and Robert Whittaker will lock horns at UFC 290. UFC 290 is all set to take place on July 8 on ESPN+ PPV at T-Mobile Arena. The winner between Du Plessis and Whittaker would get the next title shot. It seems that Adesanya already wants Du Plessis to win.

 ‘The Reaper’ has achieved 12 victories and only two losses as a middleweight in the UFC. The two losses he faced were against Adesanya. Hence, it seems that Adesanya is not interested in fighting the former middleweight champion; instead, he is looking forward to fighting ‘Stillknocks’. The 29-year-old is on a seven-fight winning streak, with his last five victories coming under the UFC banner. At the moment, it’s Adesanya’s two-word message to Du Plessis that’s catching the attention of netizens.

Israel Adesanya’s message for Dricus Du Plessis

After the announcement of Dana White, Dricus Du Plessis took to his Twitter handle to tweet, “So you say I haven’t earned my title shot yet? Hold my beer watch this..#preparetobeamazed #ufc290.” Through his tweet, Du Plessis let the MMA community know that he would prove his mettle and earn a title shot. The middleweight champion came across Du Plessis’ tweet, and he asked ‘Stillknocks’ to “please win.“

Adesanya had already fought with Robert Whittaker twice in the past. Both times, the Nigerian fighter emerged victorious. At UFC 243, Adesanya was the middleweight title challenger against Whittaker. Adesanya secured a glorious victory by knocking out ‘The Reaper’ in the second round. The rivals met yet again at UFC 271. After a back-and-forth battle, Adesanya won the bout via decision. Therefore, it is understandable that ‘StyleBender’ is looking forward to a new challenge in the form of the South African.

But has Du Plessis done enough to warrant a shot at the throne in his time so far at the UFC?

The journey of ‘Stillknocks’ to UFC

Before stepping foot in the UFC, Dricus Du Plessis fought for Extreme Fighting Championship, where he became successful in achieving middleweight and welterweight championships. He has been a professional MMA fighter since 2013.

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After joining the world’s biggest MMA promotion, Du Plessis was reaping victories one after another. His last two victories against Derek Brunson and Darren Till prove the outstanding skills in his repertoire. He fought against Till at UFC 282 and won the bout via submission in the third round. His next fight was against Brunson at UFC 285. He emerged victorious in the second round via TKO. At the moment, the fans need to wait patiently to find out who will win the bout at UFC 290 to challenge Adesanya.

What do you make of the middleweight champion’s words to the South African? Let us know in the comments section below.

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