Former UFC middleweight weight champion Israel Adesanya has announced he would be facing Dricus Du Plessis at the main event of UFC 305, which takes place in August. This would be his first fight since losing the middleweight title to Sean Strickland last September, and now, he would be challenging Du Plessis, who is the new champion after defeating Sean Strickland, for the title. 

Izzy, a former two-time champion, is no stranger to title matches, having been on the defensive and attacking end. Just last year, he regained the title briefly after defeating Alex Pereira for it. Before he lost the title for the first time, he successfully defended it five times, against some of the biggest names in the division. 

Taking to social media to announce the fixture, he wrote: “The SUN of Africa is the same sun that lights up our planet. 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.”

Israel’s announcement on Tuesday did not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following UFC news behind the scenes. Details of a possible fixture between the two have been flowing around for a while now, and it was expected that the UFC would announce or confirm the fight themselves. 

For Adesanya, this is a sight to redeem himself and get back in the good books of the middleweight division. Although he was one of the best middleweight fighters of all time, his recent fights, most of which ended in victory, were criticized for being quite boring and drawn out. 

Du Plessis has not fought since he claimed the title back in January. He arrived in the UFC just four years ago and has a stellar record so far. The fight with Adesanya is really one to look forward to, especially as it’s been confirmed that the planned UFC 303 McGregor vs Chandler will no longer hold.