UFC 297: Dricus du Plessis on Israel Adesanya and being inspired by Springboks win over All Blacks ahead of title challenge

Dricus du Plessis will challenge for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 297 this weekend. Photo / Getty Images

Last October, Dricus du Plessis cheered vigorously from the stands of Stade de France as the Springboks beat the All Blacks to bring the Rugby World Cup title back home.

Now, the South African UFC star is taking inspiration from that performance as he looks to follow suit as he challenges for the UFC middleweight championship.

“That’s goosebumps right there,” du Plessis told the Herald of the Springboks’ Rugby World Cup triumph.

“I was sitting there live in that crowd and just seeing these guys when the odds are stacked against them, looking like it might be over, to just keep going and going.

“That’s as inspirational as it gets for each and every South African, and for me as a sportsperson as well, representing my flag, my country, on the biggest stage in the world, for a world title, that’s them showing the world how it’s done and I can only take inspiration from those men who left their hearts and souls on that field.”

Du Plessis will be the first challenger to Sean Strickland’s reign as middleweight champion when the two meet in the headline act at UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday (NZ time), getting his shot at gold after having to pass it up in the first instance.

The bout will be the first UFC middleweight title fight not to feature Adesanya since Robert Whittaker beat Yoel Romero in July 2017. A rematch between the two in 2018 was a non-title bout as Romero missed weight.

While du Plessis and Adesanya have had their differences on a personal level, the South African was quick to praise that stat and what Adesanya had achieved in his career to date.

“There’s no doubting, no matter how we feel about each other on a personal level, as a fighter, he’s absolutely incredible.

“What he’s done in the sport and how he’s done it, it’s absolutely amazing. He’s one of the best to ever do it for sure.”

Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis exchanged words after du Plessis beat Robert Whittaker in July last year. Photo / Getty Images

The 30-year-old was expected to fight Adesanya at UFC 293 in Sydney last September but declined the fight due to an injury. The fight would have been an eight-week turnaround from his impressive knockout win over former champion Whittaker but having sustained an injury less than three weeks before that bout, du Plessis and his team knew he wasn’t ready to get straight back to work.

Instead, Strickland was awarded the opportunity to challenge Adesanya for the title and won a unanimous decision.

Reflecting on the decision to pass up a title fight, with no guarantee he would get the next one, du Plessis said it was the right decision.

“It was one of those decisions where listen, I can’t control what happened here and you know, to go out there and say ‘Listen, no, it’s a title fight - you can’t say no’, yes, you can because that’s what I did. I wasn’t ready for that fight. I was injured and it wasn’t as if I had a long time.

“I got injured 18 days before the [Whittaker] fight, but starting your camp injured, it’s just not worth it. You’re not going to be prepared the way you should be during that time off.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.