Dricus du Plessis on why he wanted to fight Robert Whittaker: “I want to deserve my title shot”
UFC middleweight contender Dricus du Plessis explained why he wanted to fight Robert Whittaker next, saying that “I want to deserve my title shot.”
Du Plessis is currently the No. 6 ranked middleweight in the UFC. He joined the world’s leading MMA promotion back in 2020 and since then he has a perfect 5-0 record in the Octagon with four wins by finish. In his last two fights, he beat Derek Brunson and Darren Till to jump into the top 10 of his weight class.
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya does not have his next opponent lined up, so many fans and media assumed that du Plessis would be next in line to fight for the belt. However, the UFC booked du Plessis to fight the former champion Whittaker at UFC 290 instead, with the winner getting a title shot.
Speaking to Submission Radio in a recent interview, du Plessis was asked why he took the fight with Whittaker instead of trying to get a title shot. As far as “Stillknocks” goes, he agrees with the critics who think he’s taking a risk by accepting another fight, but he has his reasons for wanting this matchup.
“A lot of people are saying it’s not the smartest move to fight Whittaker and 100 percent, I agree with that. I agree it’s not the smart move, but I’m not here to be smart. Otherwise, I would’ve stayed in school and finished my studies, gone to work at a bank, wear a suit to work every day, and do some corporate life. But that’s not the life I chose. I chose to be a warrior, to be an entertainer, and at the end of the day, I’m a fighter. And that’s what I do: I fight,” du Plessis said (h/t MMAjunkie.com).
“I don’t want to get that title shot based on some hype created by, I don’t even know what, some guy who has the title who’s behaving like a little child and overreacting and now the fight is happening because of that. I want to deserve my title shot. I don’t want to be handed a title shot. I’m going to deserve that belt, and that’s why I wanted that Whittaker fight.”
Who do you think wins at UFC 290, Robert Whittaker or Dricus du Plessis?
