Dricus du Plessis may not headline UFC 300 after all.
The reigning UFC middleweight champion said this week that a date for his first title defense remains undetermined as he continues to deal with bumps and bruises suffered in his split decision victory over Sean Strickland this past January at UFC 297.
“I have no idea [when it’ll be],” Du Plessis told South African radio station Jacaranda FM. “For me, right now, we are still busy with some scans and seeing what we can do in terms of after the fight, some injuries, can we fight soon, is that a possibility and all that. So that’ll be great [to get that done], that’ll be great, but we have to make sure that the longevity of my career is also taken into consideration. We’ve had a very active last year, year and a half. And that’s what I said, we rushed to get to this belt, we had to take every opportunity given to us. Right now, we need to be smart and defend this belt when it suits us.”
Du Plessis, 30, is a perfect 7-0 in his UFC career since debuting with the promotion in 2020. His road to the title included a monster knockout of former champion Robert Whittaker, as well as stoppage wins over Derek Brunson and Darren Till. With his victory over Strickland, du Plessis became the first champion of South African descent in UFC history.
That final point is one of immense pride for du Plessis. “Stillknocks” received a raucous welcome home to South Africa following his title triumph, and he remains dedicated to his goal of being the person to bring a UFC event to Africa. To that, du Plessis told Jacaranda FM that UFC Africa is “100 percent” his primary focus now rather than headlining UFC 300.
“I think UFC 300 is obviously going to be a milestone event,” du Plessis said. “I think it’s going to be great. Every time you have the UFC 100, UFC 200, and now 300, all of are massive events and the pay-per-views are insane, it’s a massive hype, and I would love to be part of that, but not if it’s going to mean that I’m not going to be fully recovered. Defending my title is much more important to me than being on this milestone event.
“The real milestone event will be UFC in Africa, and more importantly, South Africa. I can’t even explain to you how long I’ll be willing to wait to make that happen and defend my belt on home soil. That’s history. UFC 300 is just a number. It’s not as massive as UFC Africa.”
UFC 300 is slated for April 13 in Las Vegas. The event remains without a headlining bout.
Du Plessis said his preferred opponent for his first title defense whenever he fights again is still Israel Adesanya, and he still believes “that’s probably going to be the next fight.” However, he also opened the door for a rematch against Strickland if the demand is there.
“I wouldn’t mind, if that’s what the UFC wants,” du Plessis said. “I always say, as a champion, you want to give the people the fight they want to see. For me, that’s the important thing. I want to be champion of the world so I don’t want to pick any fights because there’s going to be an easier fight. If you want to be the best in the world, you have to fight whoever is the next toughest guy in the division. So if the UFC decides they want to do Strickland two, I’m completely happy with that. If the fans say, no, that’s the fight they want, let’s do it. I honestly think the second fight will be a lot easier than the first one.”
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