Dricus Du Plessis gets his title shot in January 2024
Save the date: Dricus Du Plessis is set to take his shot at UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland on 20 January 2024; New Year, new champion!
CEO of the UFC Dana White declared on Monday that Sean Strickland, the middleweight champion, will take on Dricus Du Plessis in January in the maiden defence of his championship.
Strickland (28-5) will be attempting to defend the championship for the first time after defeating Israel Adesanya in September in a sensational upset.
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DRICUS DU PLESSIS GETS HIS TITLE SHOT
The main event of UFC 297 in Toronto will be the middleweight championship match between Du Plessis and champion Strickland. The event is scheduled for 20 January.
Adesanya (24-3) and Strickland would have faced off right away in a rematch, but Adesanya has chosen to take an indefinite hiatus from professional fighting. Earlier this year, South Africa’s Du Plessis was supposed to play Adesanya before Strickland, but an injury forced him to miss time.
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DDP TO HAVE A NEW FAVOURITE FIGHT
If Du Plessis can triumph this fight might take over as his new favourite.
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The fighter told the Mail & Guardian this week that his battle with Brad Tavares has ranked as his personal favourite.
“Brad Tavares was one of the toughest people I fought. In terms of being tired and in terms of taking damage, I wouldn’t call it my toughest fight,” he said.
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“I hit that guy and the next day, my hands were swollen. I normally hit guys with 16 ounce gloves with half the power that I hit that guy with and they go down, but he just wouldn’t go down. It was an incredible experience.
“It was definitely one of those fights where I had to go and work for it. I would die in there, but I wouldn’t lose that fight.”
Du Plessis admitted that he was frustrated by the process and talk after injury forced him to reject the Sydney shot at Adesanya.
“It was the first time in the UFC’s history where a guy not only wins but destroys the number one contender [Whittaker] who’s been undoubtedly the number one contender for over a decade. But then you don’t get a title shot,“ he said.
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