Dricus Du Plessis vs. Brad Tavares Booked For UFC 276 On July 2

UFC middleweight Dricus Du Plessis is set for another attempt at entering the Octagon for the first time in 2022 at UFC 276.

Per MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, Du Plessis will meet veteran 185lber Brad Tavares inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on July 2. The pay-per-view is set to be the marquee event for International Fight Week.

Brad Tavares will fight Dricus Du Plessis at #UFC276 on July 2nd. (first rep. @MikeHeck_JR) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #IFW2022 pic.twitter.com/0JjljtM8fg

— Marcel Dorff (@BigMarcel24) April 19, 2022

Du Plessis (16-2) has had a torrid run of luck in recent weeks and months. After moving to 2-0 inside the Octagon with a vicious knockout of Trevin Giles last July, the South African was set for an intriguing bout with ranked middleweight Andre Muniz last December. With that bout cancelled, “Stillknocks” turned his attention to 2022.

The relative newcomer was booked against Chris Curtis for UFC 273 earlier this month. Once “The Action Man” was forced out, Du Plessis remained on the card thanks to Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez. When visa issues forced Nassourdine Imavov to withdraw, Du Plessis stepped up to face perennial contender Kelvin Gastelum, only for the #10-ranked contender to pull out through injury days later.

With Hernandez preparing for a new opponent, Du Plessis was left off the card and directed his anger towards Gastelum. The South African will now look to focus his energy on his fourth scheduled opponent of the year.

While the clash with Gastelum hasn’t been re-arranged, Du Plessis will still get the chance to break into the top 15 when he faces Tavares (19-6). The Hawaiian is a 20-fight UFC vet who has shared the cage with the likes of reigning champion Israel Adesanya, former titleholder Robert Whittaker, and Yoel Romero.

After returning from a layoff last year, Tavares rebounded from a two-fight skid with back-to-back victories over Antônio Carlos Júnior and Omari Akhmedov, securing him place at #12 on the middleweight ladder.

While he’ll be hoping to maintain the number next to his name, Du Plessis will be looking for a third dose of success on MMA’s biggest stage.

The current fights expected to take place at UFC 276 on July 2 are as follows:

Lauren Murphy vs. Miesha Tate (women’s flyweight)

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Brad Tavares (middleweight)

Jessica Eye vs. Casey O’Neill (women’s flyweight)

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 276, Dricus Du Plessis or Brad Tavares?

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