Who is next for Dricus Du Plessis? – Top three possible opponents
Last night the UFC crowned a new middleweight king when Dricus Du Plessis defeated incumbent champion Sean Strickland via split decision. The fight wasn’t one of many fireworks but was mildly entertaining. Now the new champion, the world is staring down at Du Plessis. Here are three possibilities for his first title defense.
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya: Unfinished business
Dricus Du Plessis called out Israel Adesanya 👀 #UFC297 pic.twitter.com/duH3QNaZ79
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 21, 2024
Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis go back a little bit. With Du Plessis defeating Robert Whittaker and Adesanya then getting revenge on Alex Pereira at UFC 287, the stage seemed set for Adesanya vs. Duplessis. Instead, the UFC booked Adesanya vs. Strickland because of an injury on Du Plessis’ part.
The two faced off in the cage post fight and teased the fans with a future matchup that was spoiled by Strickland. Now the shoe is on the other foot and Du Plessis is the champion and Adesanya wants his shot.
Dricus Du Plessis called out Adesanya in his post fight interview, looking for that lost matchup that he wanted. This is the logical step next if you’re following the money. Put that fight in South Africa and you basically print money. Then again, he just fought a budding star…
A Rematch with Sean Strickland
Dricus Du Plessis may have snapped Sean Strickland’s three fight winning streak but let’s not kid ourselves and say it was dominant. There were two or three rounds that could have swung either way, including that pivotal fifth round.
Normally, I don’t advocate for champions who lose their title in the first defense to get immediate rematches. But this fight was far from definitive. Sean Strickland is also a new star for the UFC by the sounds of the Canadian faithful last night.
We could see Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 if the UFC is wanting to build a little more hype on Adesanya’s return to competition.
The new matchup: Paulo Costa (if victorious)
The only real other option for Dricus Du Plessis is the winner of Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. This one really relies on Costa winning the fight. Du Plessis already smashed out Robert Whittaker in two rounds and a single win over the inactive Costa isn’t enough to get him back.
But Costa is (generally) a fun fighter with banging hands. He’s fought the best the division has had to offer but has also stumbled along the way.
His last win was that decision over Luke Rockhold in 2022. He was booked to fight Ikram Aliskerov and Khamzat Chimaev in 2023 but those fights both fell through for various reasons. Should he have a huge statement over Whittaker and both Strickland and Adesanya turn the fight down for one reason or another, we could be looking at Du Plessis vs. Costa.
