Immediately preceding the main events at UFC 290 is the title eliminator between Robert Whittaker and rising Middleweight Dricus Du Plessis. The former UFC Middleweight champion has lost only to Israel Adesanya in the 185 pounds division in the UFC and has become more or less a gatekeeper now who one must get past before a title shot at the champ. Last September, Marvin Vettori tried and failed. Now at UFC 290, it is the turn of the South African number five ranked Dricus Du Plessis. This weekend, UFC 290 holds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Already, both Adesanya and Du Plessis have ignited a feud about who is the more authentic African.
MMA: UFC Middleweight
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Where to watch: PPV
Date: 9.07.2023. 06.15
Robert Whittaker
The 32-year-old is a former Middleweight champion and winner of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Welterweight Tournament. After winning the Interim Middleweight championship title, he became undisputed after Georges St-Pierre vacated the UFC Middleweight title in 2017. Making his UFC debut in 2012, “The Reaper” has been one of the mainstays of the Middleweight division, although he originally debuted at Welterweight. The only nemesis of the number fifteen ranked UFC Men’s pound-for-pound fighter has been his inability to get past Israel Adesanya, first losing his title to him in 2019 at UFC 243 and later a rematch at UFC 271 last year.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 32
- Height: 5’ 11”
- Reach: 73”
- Record: 24-6-0
Dricus Du Plessis
South African Dricus Du Plessis has raced up the UFC rankings since his debut in 2020. Currently unbeaten in the Octagon, the former two-weight champion of the EFC is now ranked at number five. Coming from a kickboxing background, the former WAKO World Champion in K-1 dropped out of the University of Pretoria to fully pursue a career in mixed martial arts which he found out was more lucrative than kickboxing. His UFC resume includes wins over Brad Tavares and Derek Brunson, who he TKO’ed in March 2023. Ahead of the bout against Robert Whittaker, Dricus Du Plessis has had a face-off with the Middleweight champ and has claimed that if he wins the title, he will become the only African champion resident on the continent.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 29
- Height: 6’ 0”
- Reach: 76”
- Record: 19-2-0
The fact that Israel Adesanya brought race into the conversation – that anybody brings race into a conversation like this – that was disgusting. I thought that was terrible, I thought that I was taking a step backward. I was obviously shocked, I couldn’t believe it when I saw it.I couldn’t believe it when I heard that race was brought into it. To be honest with you, I felt like the world of sports just took a step backward. And that was ridiculous to make it about that.
Betting Odds
Despite Du Plessis’ unbeaten status, Robert Whittaker is a massive favorite to win this bout priced at 1.25 odds on Bet365. The South African underdog comes at a huge 4.00 odds to win. Over 1.5 is available at 1.72 odds on Marathonbet, with the under at 1.952. 1XBET lists Whittaker to win in rounds 1-2 at 2.7 odds.
