In a surprising turn of events, South African mixed martial artist Dricus Du Plessis has fired back at UFC President Dana White over White’s recent criticism regarding his decision not to fight at UFC 293. Du Plessis, who was originally slated to challenge for the middleweight title at the event, was forced to withdraw due to an injured foot. This last-minute change led to Sean Strickland stepping in, ultimately defeating Israel Adesanya and capturing the middleweight championship.
White had expressed his displeasure with Du Plessis turning down the short-notice fight opportunity following his impressive knockout victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 in July. However, Du Plessis, in an interview with FightWave, expressed his frustration at White’s criticism.
“I’ve been ready to address every situation of what might happen this weekend, and what the UFC might say, what Dana might say – obviously, him not being very happy that I turned down a fight on seven weeks’ notice with an injury, which I don’t really understand,” Du Plessis stated.
He went on to defend his track record as a fighter, emphasizing that he’s not one to turn down fights without good reason and that he has accepted short-notice fights multiple times in the past. Du Plessis firmly believes that the injury and the short notice for the UFC 293 fight made it impossible for him to compete.
Despite his disappointment at missing the opportunity to face Adesanya, Du Plessis was gracious in acknowledging Sean Strickland’s impressive victory over the reigning champion. He commented, “I’m happy for Sean Strickland. I’m happy that Izzy got a little bit of a hiding, although I would have loved to be the guy to give it to him.”
Du Plessis drew parallels between Strickland’s situation and his own, highlighting the lack of confidence and the underdog status both fighters faced leading up to their respective title opportunities. “There’s Sean Strickland: Just goes to show, I feel he was in a very similar situation to me and Robert Whittaker where nobody gave me a shot. Nobody gave me a chance. I know Strickland didn’t even give me a chance in this fight,” Du Plessis concluded.
As the controversy surrounding Du Plessis’ withdrawal from UFC 293 continues to swirl, it remains to be seen how Dana White and the UFC will respond to the South African fighter’s comments. Nonetheless, one thing is clear: Dricus Du Plessis is determined to prove himself and earn his shot at the middleweight title in the future.
