Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis earned his title shot by defeating former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 in July 2023.  The event took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and the bout was billed as a ‘title eliminator.’  Du Plessis seized on the opportunity.  

The South African entered the fight with Whittaker riding a seven-fight winning streak but was the betting underdog.  Midway through the second round, he stopped Whittaker with punches to secure a title shot.  He’d go on to defeat Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January to capture the 185-pound championship.  Take a look back at the win that earned Du Plessis a title shot.      

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Robert Whittaker Full Fight Video

Du Plessis puts his title on the line against former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in the UFC 305 main event on Aug. 18, in Perth, Australia in a grudge match.    

Whittaker is booked to take on the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 308 co-main event on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi.  The two were scheduled to fight on June 22 at UFC on ABC 6 but illness forced Chimaev out of the fight.  Ikram Aliskerov stepped in as Chimaev’s replacement and was knocked out in the first round.     

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