Jack Hermansson casts doubt on Dricus du Plessis’ potential championship reign, foreseeing challenges if he faces Israel Adesanya.
‘Stillknocks’ secured the middleweight championship with a split decision victory over Sean Strickland in the headline bout at UFC 297 in Toronto last month. After his win, du Plessis challenged ‘The Last Stylebender’ for his first title defense.
While there were early talks of the matchup happening at UFC 300 on April 13, the reigning champion has raised concerns about his ability to compete due to ongoing injury recovery.
In an exclusive interview with Andrew Whitelaw for Sportskeeda MMA, Hermansson discussed the potential duel between du Plessis and Adesanya, emphasizing their storied history:
“Obviously, Adesanya and Dricus is a fight with a little bit of bad blood as well, that people want to see. Those two are maybe the most exciting ones.”
‘The Joker’ also shared his prediction for the potential title bout:
“I think he does [if Adesanya could defeat du Plessis]. But it’s not an easy fight, either. I think Izzy beats Dricus, but I don’t know, man, it’s tough. Dricus has grown, and he has shown that he’s good, so it’s tough.” Hermansson is currently gearing up to face Joe Pyfer in the main event of UFC Vegas 86, set for this weekend at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This marks his return to the octagon following a second-round TKO loss against Roman Dolidze in December 2022. ‘The Joker’ currently holds a 4-4 record in his last eight UFC appearances.
