Israel Adesanya wants to fight Dricus Du Plessis, but says he may not necessarily be next.
Middleweight champion Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his title against Sean Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) in the main event of UFC 293 on Sept. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+.
Strickland was not Adesanya’s original opponent. Adesanya was expected to face Du Plessis (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC), but after the South African fighter wasn’t healthy enough to make a quick turnaround, Strickland was awarded the opportunity. But with a pivotal middleweight clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa set for UFC 294 on Oct. 21, Adesanya says it could be a long wait for Du Plessis if Chimaev beats Costa – a sentiment Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman echoed.
“Definitely (Chimaev could be next),” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “Again, I do want to fight Dricus. But he has to know he’s not calling the shots here. That’s the thing, I am. So again, a guy who, ‘Oh, my foot is this. My foot’s that…’ But yeah, we’ll see. We’ll see.”
Adesanya has been one of the most active UFC champions in recent memory. His willingness to consistently compete comes from his understanding how to maximize the time you have in the sport.
“You only have so much time in this game,” Adesanya said. “It’s about time. And I know I’m definitely past the halfway point of my career. I’ve still got some time left but I know, I’m past the halfway point. This is precious time.
“I can’t just, me personally, give these opportunities away because when it’s all said and done, when you’re on your rocking chair in front of your property or trailer park or whatever, be looking back and be like did I take advantage of every opportunity that was given to me?”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.
