"Sounds amazing” - Dricus du Plessis welcomes Israel Adesanya fight next, reveals potential date for the clash

Dricus du Plessis will forever be in the record books after becoming the first South African champion in promotional history after beating Sean Strickland at UFC 297.

'Stillknocks' was crowned the new middleweight champion, and after getting his hand raised, he took to the microphone to call out Israel Adesanya.

He then appeared in front of the media, where he was asked if 'The Last Stylebender' was his ideal next opponent. 'Stillknocks' was also asked if he had a date in mind for their potential fight as UFC 300 may be too soon given the damage Du Plessis' absorbed against Strickland.

The South African said this:

"A little bit of damage?! Do you remember how handsome I was before this fight? I looked like a cauliflower now. I'm pretty banged up right now. Listen, I'm up for another round if they want to go. I don't want to put a timeline on [the fight] but UFC 300 sounds amazing."

When asked if his potential clash with Adesanya was "personal", he said this:

"No it's nothing personal. It's not personal at all. That's just the fight the fans want to see. I want to fight the best competition... The fans want to see Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus du Plessis. There's a lot of hype that was already built on it."

Listen to Dricus du Plessis' comments below from 1:18:04:

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Dana White shares his thoughts on the result of Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis

Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis clashed in the main event of UFC 297 to kick off the promotion's 2024 pay-per-view season in style.

The pair went to war for all five rounds, with 'Stillknocks' being awarded a 48-47, 47-48 and 48-47 split-decision victory on the judges' scorecards.

The fight was incredibly competitive, and some media members scored the fight for Strickland while others favored the South African.

Following the event, UFC CEO Dana White appeared in front of the media. He was asked to share his thoughts on the result of the main event, and said this:

"I had it 2-2 going into the last round and I thought Strickland won the last round. Um, guys who were sitting at the same table had it the other way. You know, it was a close fight. I thought Strickland looked great in the first two rounds. I mean, the jab was f*****g beautiful. You don’t see jabs like that in MMA. And the jabs did what they’re supposed to do. Both of his [du Plessis] eyes were swollen shut."

Watch the video below from 0:43: