“So, you’ve stated that you want to drag my corpse across South Africa – so be a man of your word and let’s do it!” the South African addressed his potential opponent on another edition of the Hustlers Corner podcast. “That’s what people want to see and that’s what I want to do.”
“I don’t care, I’m the champion and I’ll fight anybody, but I prefer to fight who the fans want to see as my opponent. At the end of the day, we entertain people – that’s part of our job.”
According to the champion, he is ready to return to the octagon in June or July, and plans to make two defenses before the end of this year.
“After a few injuries I want to recover and not take a big break, but I plan to come back in June or July and have two more fights this year. That would be ideal for me.”
Last September, Israel Adesanya suffered a sensational loss to Sean Strickland by unanimous decision and lost the UFC middleweight championship belt, and this January, Dricus Du Plessis defeated the American by split decision to become the division’s new champion.
Adding intrigue to the potential Adesanya-Du Plessis showdown is the personal conflict that arose after the South African promised to become the UFC’s first true African champion, questioning the New Zealand-based Nigerian’s African identity.