One of the most surprising upsets in UFC history occurred at the recent pay-per-view event.
During the main event of UFC 293 in Sydney, Sean Strickland emerged as the victor and claimed the middleweight title from Israel Adesanya. This event marked the beginning of a new partnership with the New South Wales government in Australia and was the first of three cards.
Leading up to the event, many had doubted Strickland’s chances of success against Adesanya, even going as far as labeling him the “most unlikely title challenger” of all time. However, Strickland proved his critics wrong by dropping Adesanya in the first round and ultimately winning the fight by unanimous decision.
Now that a new champion has been crowned, attention has turned to what comes next. UFC President Dana White believes Adesanya should immediately rematch Strickland, but former light heavyweight and heavyweight titleholder Daniel Cormier disagrees.
Daniel Cormier Predicts Dricus Du Plessis to Get Title Shot
Cormier suggests that Adesanya should take a break from the sport following his loss rather than rushing into another fight for revenge. Instead, Cormier believes the next contender for the middleweight title should be the #1-ranked Dricus Du Plessis, despite Du Plessis declining the opportunity to compete at UFC 293.
Cormier thinks Du Plessis deserves the title shot and remains at the top of the list, unless Khamzat Chimaev delivers a dominant performance next month at UFC 294 against Paulo Costa.
“I think Dricus Du Plessis earned his title shot,” said Cormier. “He deserves the opportunity to fight for the belt. He was supposed to be here (at UFC 293)… I feel like he gets the title fight. The only way he doesn’t get that title fight is if by some way Khamzat Chimaev just starches Paulo Costa, and then the world starts to go crazy begging for Khamzat Chimaev to get an opportunity to fight for the belt.”
Chimaev, who has been away from the Octagon for over a year, is set to return at a new weight on October 21 in Abu Dhabi. His goal is to immediately enter the title contention at 185 pounds by facing Paulo Costa.
While Du Plessis has expressed confidence in his chance for glory, he may have to wait and see what happens between Chimaev and Costa before his title shot becomes a reality.
Makes no difference to me, the belt is coming home
— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) September 10, 2023
- Read Also: 5 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC 293: Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland
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