Israel Adesanya claims Dricus Du Plessis rejected UFC 300 main event slot

UFC 300 was hyped by Dana White so much that fans were expecting a card like we’ve never seen before. While the event is packed with great matchups, we almost had an entirely different headliner.

On April 13, UFC 300 unfolds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. After months of speculation, it was recently revealed that the grudge match between light heavyweight powerhouses Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill would take center stage at the night’s end.

Before the main event was revealed, many expected Israel Adesanya to return to combat sports following his short hiatus. Although that is no longer the case, according to the kickboxing phenom, his potential opponent Dricus Du Plessis stopped that from happening.

“There were some things that were meant to happen,” Adesanya said about a title fight against Du Plessis during an appearance on Theo Von’s podcast. “They summoned me. They summoned me.”

“I’m sure this is out there now. Eugene [Bareman] said some stuff. But, they summoned me. They summoned me for [UFC] 300 and I was like, ‘Yep, let’s roll.’ But their [Du Plessis] side didn’t want it.”

“Yeah, they didn’t want it. But, you know, they just fought [Sean] Strickland. So, maybe he had a little bit [of] niggly injuries and stuff.”

Related: Is Israel Adesanya vs. Khamzat Chimaev confirmed for UFC Saudi Arabia?

Adesanya continued, hinting at a possible return to the octagon now that his injury issues are behind him.

“Hey, we’ve all got niggles and whatnot. I’ve fought injured for the last how many fights? So, that’s why I took time off. Just to let my body heal. And it has healed.”

‘The Last Stylebender’ most recently competed inside the octagon on September 9, 2023, at UFC 293, in a losing effort against Sean Strickland. 

Israel Adesanya planned to spend a considerable amount of time away from the sport. However, rumors of a middleweight title fight against long-term rival Dricus Du Plessis are beginning to heat up.

Listen to Adesanya and Theo Von’s 2-hour talk below.