Dricus du Plessis has backed up all of his comments at UFC 305 after a week of hostility in Perth between himself and former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was settled.
The two fighters engaged in a brutal back-and-forth outside the cage for months, their rivalry gradually escalating until they finally met at a sold-out RAC Arena.
After initially dethroning Sean Strickland to win the belt, the South African extended his current winning streak to 10 fights with a fourth-round submission victory via rear-naked choke over Adesanya.
Dricus du Plessis’ next fight: Who will the middleweight champion face after his UFC 305 win?
“I’ve never had a boring fight and I don’t intend to have one now,” du Plessis said ahead of the meeting with Adesanya.
The two men had been on a collision course since the South African claimed a narrow win over Strickland in January.
Adesanya was in the crowd that night at UFC 297 and later claimed it was his destiny to face du Plessis for the belt he had a mortgage on.
However, he encountered the same problems as Strickland and Robert Whittaker against the optimistic middleweight.
Despite clear superiority over a tired du Plessis in the third and fourth rounds, Adesanya was simply unsettled by the relentless pressure.
If he wasn’t coming forward with a flurry of looping punches or trying to throw a high kick, du Plessis was aiming for a takedown.
“He became a little predictable,” Adesanya said after the fight.
Yet he got the job done once again, catching the challenger cold near the fence before taking his back and executing a choke to retain his belt at the first request.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” du Plessis said.
“People say you’re not a champion until you defend your belt – bullshit – you’re a champion when you win the belt.
“I went out there tonight to fight for the belt and I won it again.”
Even before the two faced off, Dana White confirmed that the winner would face Strickland.
However, current light heavyweight champion and former middleweight champion Alex Pereira has also emerged as a potential opponent after declaring his interest on social media.
“What do I want now? Whatever they give me,” du Plessis said.
“Honestly, I don’t think Pereira will slow down. But if he does, he will find excuses to lose weight.
“Izzy stiffed that man (at UFC 287). If he comes, he can’t fight me.”
Du Plessis noted he was happy to have a rematch with Strickland while also considering a future fight with Periera – but on his terms.
“Strickland is the next fight if that’s what people want,” du Plessis said.
“I will move up to 205 pounds (to face Pereira) after the Strickland fight.”
Although he named Whittaker as the most deserving contender among all for the next chance against him.
“Whittaker deserves his chance and I think he’s been overlooked,” du Plessis said.
“He beat Paulo Costa in a more impressive way than Strickland and was then ready to face Khamzat Chimaev.
“He is unfortunately at a disadvantage. But it is not my fault.”
