Dricus du Plessis believes Israel Adesanya’s time at the top has passed.
This past weekend, Adesanya lost his third fight in a row when he got knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia. Granted the two fights before the Imavov matchup were title bouts with du Plessis and Sean Strickland, but it still puts Adesanya well outside of the title picture for the first time in nearly six years. At 36 years old, and with over 100 fights on his resume between MMA and kickboxing, du Plessis thinks Adesanya is now in the legend phase of his career.
“For Izzy, I don’t think there’s another title run, with all due respect,” du Plessis said at the UFC 312 Media Day. “I think his legacy is cemented and will always be there and whatever he feels like doing, he can do. I put him in the same category as Anderson Silva at this stage of lose as many fights as you want. You will always have your legacy.
“Anderson Silva after his reign ended, I don’t care how many times he lost, he was still my GOAT. He was still the greatest middleweight of all time, and I feel Izzy is in that area. Whatever you decide to do, take superfights here, there, if you want, if you still have the passion for it. If you’ve lost the passion, you have the money, don’t do it anymore. You don’t have to take anymore trauma, you don’t have to put yourself through that. But if you want to do it, go for it. Nothing he can do can tarnish that legacy that he’s already built.”
Adesanya is widely regarded as the second-greatest middleweight of all time behind Silva. He held the title from 2019 to 2022, with five successful defenses before losing it to longtime rival Alex Pereira. Adesanya then won their rematch, reclaiming the belt just six months later to become the division’s only two-time UFC champion.
Du Plessis’s praise of Adesanya comes despite a long personal history between the two of them, dating back to comments du Plessis made about being the “first African UFC champion.” Ultimately, the two were able to squash their beef and their once acrimonious relationship is now on much better terms, with UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman recently saying that the “Three African Kings” — Usman, Adesanya, and Frances Ngannou — were now the Four Horsemen, with du Plessis joining the collective. And “Stillknocks” is thrilled to be included.
“It’s a massive honor and privilege to be a part of that group,” du Plessis said. “If you look at guys like Kamaru, Frances, and Israel, absolute greats in this sport, and now Dricus du Plessis era. Being part of that group is a massive honor. A massive honor because it’s a small portion of very special people, small percentage between a small percentage of champions. Fighting in the UFC makes you one of millions. Being a champion makes you more, and being part of that group is something that doesn’t mean anything to anybody else, but to me — as an African-born fighter, African-raised, African-residing champion — just like with them, it means the absolute world to be a part of that group.”
Du Plessis defends his middleweight title against Sean Strickland this Saturday in the main event of UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia.
