Dricus Du Plessis is not short of options following his maiden title defence at UFC 305.
The South African successfully defended his Middleweight strap against Israel Adesanya on Saturday night, to continue his eight fight unbeaten run under the UFC banner and solidify himself at the top of the division.
After a closely contested first three rounds, Du Plessis dropped Adesanya in the fourth before pouncing on his back and locking in a rear naked choke, forcing ‘The Last Stylebender’ to tap in the fourth round.
The first title defence is always extremely important for any champion, Du Plessis disclosed his mindset heading into the title and why it meant to so much to have his hand raised. Speaking to the media post fight, he said:
“It was so special. And like I said, you mentioned my first successful title defence and people go, ‘Yeah, you're not a champion until you defend that belt.’ That's bullshit. You're champion when you win that belt. But I wasn't a champion walking out there tonight. Before I walk out, and I said this all week, before I walk out there, they take the belt off me.
“The winner of this fight is the champion. So nobody's a champion when that first bell goes. I went out there tonight to fight for the world title, and I became champion tonight and you can see that in the fight. I went out there to fight like somebody who wanted this belt and not somebody who defended it.”
Du Plessis revealed that the game plan was not to look to look for the submission but to render Adesanya unconscious but the way the contest played out, he saw the submission opportunity and took it.
“I didn’t plan on taking him down, I was actually planning on knocking him out. The body positioning was just that of, the best thing to do right now is to take him down. I could feel as we went to the ground, he wasn't resisting at all. He was out of it a little, (I) got the back, as soon as I straightened him out, it was over.”
Many athletes took to social media following the bout, including former Middleweight and current Light Heavyweight champion Alex Pereia, who hinted at a drop back down to 185lbs for a bout against DDP. When asked about the potential matchup, Du Plessis seemed doubtful it would happen but issued a warning to ‘Poatan’ nevertheless.
“What I want next is whatever they give me, I have to be honest there. You know, I honestly don't think that Alex Pereira will drop down to 185. If he wants to, great, perfect but then we're going to hear the excuses. We saw Izzy stiff that man in a first round. I felt Izzy’s punching power tonight, Izzy has great timing, he's fast, he’s long and he has great combinations but I felt the power. If Izzy stiffens you like that, you do not want to be in there with me.”
UFC CEO Dana White has made no secret of the fact that Sean Strickland will be the next man to face Du Plessis however the champion believes there is another Middleweight more worthy of a shot. He said:
“Robert Whittaker deserves the shot. I think he's being done over. Whittaker beat Costa. Sean Strickland’s only saving grace is the fact that he went to a decision with me, that's it.”
