The main event of Australia’s next major UFC event has been confirmed, with Israel Adesanya confirming he will challenge middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis.
With dramas circling throughout the promotion over the past week relating to Conor McGregor and Robert Whittaker, there now appears to be some clarity over UFC 305.
In a social media post on Monday night (AEST), the former champion posted a cryptic message with a graphic attached, confirming his fight against Du Plessis at RAC Arena.
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”The sun of Africa is the same sun that lights up our planet,” Adesanya wrote.
https://twitter.com/stylebender/status/1802617399625281704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“The sun will set and will rise again until you walk into it. The sun, enjoy while it shines. Darkness falls when it’s gone.”
Adesanya’s revelation came prior to any confirmation from the organisation or Dana White himself, with an announcement coming from the UFC on Tuesday morning.
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1802847153280430172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The pair appeared set to meet inside the octagon last year, before du Plessis suffered a leg injury in training camp and missed the UFC 293 event in Sydney, opening the door for Sean Strickland to cause a major upset and take the belt from Adesanya.
With the division thrown into chaos, du Plessis would get the opportunity at the title he previously earned and made no mistakes, defeating Strickland in January and clearing the path for a meeting with the New Zealand sensation known as “Stylebender”.
Adesanya and du Plessis will finally square off on August 18, bringing plenty of animosity to the cage in what promises to be a blockbuster pay-per-view Down Under.
The winner of the middleweight title clash will likely take on Whittaker later this year, assuming the Aussie star can overcome a tricky challenge in Ikram Aliskerov.
UFC 305 is also expected to feature Steve Erceg against Kai-Kara France, while the availability of Aussie rising star Jack Della Maddalena remains unclear.