Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya revealed that new middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis declined to fight him at UFC 300.
Adesanya told Theo Von in an interview:
They summoned me for [UFC] 300 and I was like ‘yep, let’s roll.’ But their side didn’t want it. They didn’t want it. They just fought [Sean] Strickland so maybe he had a little bit of niggly injuries and stuff but we’ve all got niggles and what not.
Adesanya's last fight was in September 2023 at UFC 293, where he lost to Sean Strickland by unanimous decision. He has a record of 24 wins and three losses.
Du Plessis last fought against Sean Strickland in January of this year at UFC 297. Du Plessis secured a victory by a split decision in that bout. He has a record of 21 wins and two losses in mixed martial arts.