“He didn’t need to take that risk”: Dan hooker claims Dricus Du Plessis jeopardized his title shot vs Israel Adesanya after taking on bout vs Robert Whittaker at UFC 290

Dan Hooker recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus du Plessis bout scheduled for UFC 290 in July. The announcement of the fight was made by UFC president Dana White.

Confirming that Whittaker and du Plessis will go head-to-head at the highly anticipated pay-per-view event on July 8th in Las Vegas. The victor of this matchup will earn the opportunity to challenge middleweight champion Israel Adesanya for the title.

Dricus Du Plessis

Adesanya, who recently reclaimed his middleweight championship by defeating Alex Periera, will face his first challenger in just two months. Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who has previously suffered a loss to Adesanya.

He will square off against the rising UFC star du Plessis at UFC 290. The winner of this bout will earn a shot at the title against Adesanya.

Dan Hooker, a UFC lightweight veteran and a close friend of Israel Adesanya, has voiced his opinion on the upcoming fight between Robert Whittaker and du Plessis at UFC 290.

According to Hooker, du Plessis has already proven himself to be a worthy contender for the middleweight title and doesn’t necessarily need to beat Whittaker to earn a shot at the belt. The emerging UFC star has an undefeated record of 5-0 since making his debut in the promotion.

“I don’t think Dricus had to beat Rob. I feel like he played that a little bit (wrong). Dricus probably could have got the title shot off of not fighting anyone. Who’s the next logical next step?” Hooker said. “I’m not saying he’s got no chance of beating Rob. I’m just saying it’s the toughest fight in the division, and he didn’t need to take that risk.

Dricus Du Plessis is hungry for Israel Adesanya

Israel and du Plessis appear to have animosity between them, as the champion and his fellow African-born UFC star Kamaru Usman were displeased with du Plessis’ remarks regarding who represents Africa.

Fans, including former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen, are eager to witness a grudge match between the two fighters. Adesanya has already beaten every fighter ranked above du Plessis and Sonnen believes that the South African contender should receive a title shot.

Sonnen expressed his thoughts on the title eliminator matchup in a video posted on his YouTube channel.

“We shouldn’t have made du Plessis vs. Whittaker… We should’ve made du Plessis vs. Adesanya… Izzy says, ‘I’m not going to fight anybody till I fight him.’ Izzy doesn’t care if he doesn’t beat Whittaker… Matter of fact, Izzy predicts Whittaker is going to beat du Plessis. Izzy doesn’t care if he’s coming off a loss… He’s going to fight him next.”

What are your thoughts regarding this? Let us know in the comment section below.

Sami Haider

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Sami Haider is a UFC/boxing journalist who connects combat sports to pop culture. His deep passion for the UFC started in 2018, triggered by the UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor fight. He is a passionate writer who has a profound love for the sport and the skills that are used in it. Through his work, Sami aspires to connect combat sportsmen and their enthusiastic fans.

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