"He's gonna get hurt" - Dricus Du Plessis talks Israel Adesanya's UFC hiatus; pays surprise respect but doesn't like him as a person

The stage seemed set for a showdown between Dricus Du Plessis and then-champion Israel Adesanya following the South African's victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. The pair even engaged in a viral and fiery faceoff inside the octagon.

Adesanya expressed interest in competing at UFC 293 in Australia, necessitating a swift turnaround from Du Plessis. However, an unfortunate foot injury prevented the South African fighter from participating.

This turn of events opened the door for Sean Strickland to step in and challenge for the title instead. The American laid hands on the middleweight gold with a resounding unanimous decision victory over Adesanya.

Now, with Adesanya opting to take some time away from the sport, the UFC has shifted gears, handing Du Plessis the coveted opportunity to challenge Strickland for the title at UFC 297.

Speaking about the latest developments and Israel Adesanya's decision to take some time away from the sport in a recent interview with James Lynch, Dricus Du Plessis stated:

"The man [Adesanya] was active. As a champion, he showed up and didn't shy away from fights. He fought everybody, some people twice. He deserves some time away from the sport. He said 2027... If he comes back in 2027, he's going to get hurt. You shouldn't do that."

Du Plessis also offered some advice to the former champion, adding:

"Take some time off. Maybe a year, that will be good for him. He earned that as one of the best to ever do it in the middleweight division. Right now, as a person I do not like Adesanya... But, as a fighter, as a martial artist, a guy that also embodied the martial artist way, he needs to stay strong right now."

Catch Dricus Du Plessis' comments below (18:00):

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Dricus Du Plessis sets sights on Khamzat Chimaev following Sean Strickland clash

Dricus Du Plessis has set sights on a clash with Khamzat Chimaev following an upcoming bout with middleweight champion Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in Toronto.

Confident in his abilities, Du Plessis envisions a successful fight against Strickland, setting the stage for a matchup with undefeated prospect Chimaev. Despite Chimaev's recent victory over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294, Du Plessis sees the opportunity to "take out the boogeyman" and welcomes the challenge as a potential next step in his potential championship journey.

Speaking about his plans in the aforementioned interview with James Lynch, Dricus Du Plessis stated (comments from 18:30):

"I think the UFC is probably going to want to do Khamzat. He’s a big draw and they said if he won the fight against Usman he would get a title shot. If that’s the fight, I would gladly as champion take out the boogeyman, it would be a massive pleasure. I think that is probably what they want to be doing and will see if it plays out that way. For now, I have one target and that target is Sean Strickland."