Du Plessis shocks Whittaker by TKO, sets up Adesanya fight

There's no doubting Dricus Du Plessis now.

Du Plessis earned the biggest win of his MMA career Saturday night, defeating No. 2-ranked middleweight and former champion Robert Whittaker via TKO at the 2:23 mark of the second round at UFC 290 in Las Vegas.

Afterward, Du Plessis faced off with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in the Octagon, signaling that will be the next title fight. UFC commentator Jon Anik suggested on the broadcast that Adesanya-Du Plessis could take place at UFC 293 on Sept. 9 in Sydney, Australia, though it remains unclear whether Du Plessis will be able to make that quick of a turnaround.

Adesanya and Du Plessis have traded words in the press and on social media for the last several months.

Du Plessis proved that he is one of the best in the world by beating Whittaker, who was once the best at 185 pounds and has been considered the second-best middleweight for years. He dropped and hurt Whittaker with a straight right hand to set up the finish. The South African unloaded with a barrage of punches and began teeing off on his opponent against the fence. Whittaker slumped to the mat after Du Plessis landed another heavy right punch, and the referee stepped in.

Whittaker got off to a good start in the fight. He landed several jabs on Du Plessis and controlled the distance. He also briefly took Du Plessis to the ground.

But in the second half of Round 1, Du Plessis began to open up with his offense. He was clearly stronger than Whittaker and wound up on top of him late in the stanza, where he landed heavy punches and elbows that cut Whittaker open.

With the victory, Du Plessis moves to 6-0 in the UFC and is riding an eight-fight winning streak overall. He entered the matchup as the No. 5-ranked middleweight.

Before Saturday's defeat, Whittaker's only losses in the last nine years were to Adesanya. Whittaker had never lost to anyone other than Adesanya at middleweight. This was also his first loss in a non-title bout at 185 pounds.

The Australian held the belt from 2017-19. He lost it by second-round knockout to Adesanya but has remained in title contention ever since. He eventually earned a rematch with Adesanya in 2022, losing by unanimous decision. Whittaker had most recently defeated Marvin Vettori last September.