Dricus du Plessis plans to beat Israel Adesanya and Khamzat Chimaev to “earn” shot at double champ status

Dricus du Plessis recently shared his strategic roadmap for defeating Israel Adesanya and Khamzat Chimaev as part of his potential path toward double championship glory.

'Stillknocks' secured the middleweight title with a hard-earned split decision victory over Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January. Now, du Plessis is keen to make his first title defense. Speculation suggests his next bout could be against Adesanya, potentially at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, in August, though no official announcement has been made.

However, the 30-year-old is already contemplating achieving a rare feat: becoming a two-division champion. During a recent appearance on The Sias du Plessis Show, the reigning 185-pound champion stated that he first wants to settle his grudge match against 'The Last Stylebender' before potentially facing Chimaev, should the Chechen fighter defeat Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia, which could lead to his foray into the light heavyweight division:

"That double champ status, 100%, is something that I want. Also, I'm somebody who says now I wanna fight for the [205-pound title]. But I believe beating Adesanya, and if Khamzat beats Whittaker, then defeating Khamzat would earn me a spot at light heavyweight."

He added:

"Like I said, I have no problem defending my belt a few times before that. For now, my focus is 100% on the middleweight division and my next fight, which will likely be against Israel Adesanya."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below:

Check out the full interview below:

Before making his debut in the UFC, 'Stillknocks' excelled in the Polish MMA promotion KSW, where he was a two-division champion, holding both the welterweight and middleweight titles.

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Dricus du Plessis foresees Israel Adesanya's MMA career nearing its end

Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya's paths have been destined to intersect long before their dramatic altercation at UFC 290 last July. The roots of their rivalry trace back to when 'The Last Stylebender' held the middleweight championship, and du Plessis publicly challenged him, pledging to claim the title as a true African champion.

During the same interview on The Sias du Plessis Show (via MMA Mania), 'Stillknocks' emphasized that a bout with Adesanya is the highly anticipated matchup, driven by their shared history and existing tension. He stressed the need for the bout to materialize soon and pointed out that Adesanya's time in the sport may be running out:

"I know what the people wanna see, and I go and do it. And fighting Israel Adesanya is by far the fight that everybody wants to see. There’s a lot of history there. There’s animosity there. I don’t see why we are not fighting. Well, I mean, I understand why we’re not in South Africa at the moment, although that would have been great, but Adesanya doesn’t have a lot of years in the sport left. Two years, if that much."