Dricus du Plessis thinks victory over Israel Adesanya could place him among UFC middleweight GOATs: "I am that guy"

The victor of Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis could be among the all-time great UFC middleweights per 'Stillknocks'. During an interview with Fox West Texas, the reigning UFC middleweight champion was getting into all the topics surrounding his upcoming fight with former multi-time UFC title holder Adesanya at 185 pounds.

In an excerpt of that interview shared on the MMA Fighting account on X, du Plessis said:

"I'm fighting against arguably one of the greatest middleweights ever, and I have to go out there and prove that I am that guy. That's what this fight is going to mean to me. It's going to mean I told you I belong here. This fight is going to mean that Dricus du Plessis is now in the conversation of being one of the greatest middleweights ever."

Check out du Plessis' comments on the legacy elements of his Adesanya fight below:

---

Israel Adesanya and his legacy as a UFC middleweight

Israel Adesanya certainly does stand among the most accomplished 185-pound combatants in the UFC history.

The 34-year-old debuted in the promotion at UFC 221 and amassed a four-fight winning streak through 2018,

He then went on to defeat UFC middleweight icon Anderson Silva on points and then wrested the interim middleweight title against Kelvin Gastelum on points as well at UFC 234 and UFC 236, respectively.

'The Last Stylebender' would ascend to the status of lineal middleweight champion when he stopped Robert Whittaker with strikes in the second round of their UFC 243 matchup. He would then defend his gold against Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa before a foray for the light heavyweight belt fell short against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259.

Returning to the weight class below that he was still champion of Israel Adesanya would then notch even more middleweight title defenses. These took place against Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker in a rematch, and Jared Cannonier, respectively.

The Nigeria-born, New Zealand native would lose his belt at UFC 281 to kickboxing rival Alex Pereira after getting finished with strikes in the fifth and final round. Adesanya would become UFC middleweight champion again after he stopped Pereira in the second round with strikes during their UFC 287 clash.

While he did lose his hold on the gold to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, Israel Adesanya still has a rock-solid legacy in this weight class and has a chance to become a three-time titleholder in the weight category this Summer.

Check out Israel Adesanya's best moments in the UFC below: