Israel Adesanya wants his belt back.
The two-time middleweight titleholder announced Monday that he will fight champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305, which takes place at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 17 (Aug. 18 local time). This is Adesanya’s first fight since dropping the belt to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023.
See Adesanya’s announcement on social media below.
In recent interviews, du Plessis has mentioned the possibility of fighting Adesanya at UFC 305. The two have been engaged in a heated feud for the better part of the past two years, with the rivals facing off with one another inside the octagon after du Plessis scored an important win over former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 in July 2023.
The stars have not aligned for the two to meet in the cage just yet, with Adesanya instead going on to lose the middleweight title to Sean Strickland, and Strickland later losing the title to du Plessis. Adesanya announced he would take a hiatus from competition following his loss to Strickland and now seems set on returning less than a year after he last fought.
Du Plessis acknowledged Adesanya’s UFC 305 post in his Instagram Stories, but no official announcement has been made for the bout by du Plessis’ side nor the UFC. The championship clash would presumably serve as the headliner for the Aug. 17 pay-per-view card.