Dricus du Plessis shares surprising prediction for Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland’s next opponent: “I just thought of that”

Dricus du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight title for a second time when he faced Sean Strickland at UFC 312 on Feb. 8. He defeated Strickland to win the 185-pound belt at UFC 297, before facing Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in his first title defense.

Du Plessis became the first man to defeat Adesanya via submission as he secured a rear-naked choke finish in Round 4. Having beaten both former champions in back-to-back fights, 'Stillknocks' recently shared a prediction for who each fighter will face in the octagon next.

The South African appeared in front of the media following his unanimous decision win at UFC 312, and was asked to share his thoughts on Strickland's fighting future. He said:

"I know what's going to happen next. I can almost guarantee you what's happening next. Is there any bet that [Strickland] is fighting Adesanya next? Yeah, I just thought of that. Imavov, no ways. He's already shown that he beats that style every time."

A reporter suggested that 'Tarzan' face Robert Whittaker next, and Du Plessis said:

"[Strickland] said Rob only has a blitz. Oh, that would be great... Nah, I think the Adesanya rematch will be amazing. Yeah, that's what's gonna happen. It's going to be a fight night main event, I know it."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (9:10):

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Sean Strickland shares first thoughts on loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312

The middleweight title was on the line in the main event of UFC 312 in Australia, as Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland clashed in a rematch of their epic UFC 297 bout in 2024.

Their first fight was an immensely competitive affair, with Du Plessis' hand being raised via split-decision. However, their rematch saw 'Stillknocks' cement himself as the deserving champion as he dominated Strickland en route to a unanimous decision win.

The South African also broke his opponent's nose in their clash 'Down Under', and the former middleweight champion has now shared his thoughts on a second defeat to Du Plessis.

He said:

"I'm so grateful for you guys' support... Dricus, f**king hats off, man. Hell of a fight, broke my nose in like six places. The silver lining is my nose is so broken that it will be really easy to reset. That was a new experience."

Check out Sean Strickland's post after losing to Dricus du Plessis below: