South Africa’s reigning UFC middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, naturally wants the promotion to stage his next title defence on African soil.
So does UFC CEO Dana White.
However, sadly for everyone involved, the logistics of holding a major pay-per-view (PPV) event on the African continent is proving to be a challenge, according to the MMA Mania website.
Outdoor venues
That’s mainly due to the fact that the most suitable venues are located outdoors – and we all know how “scary” that is for White.
“You know how bad I want this,” White told reporters.
“I’ve been trying to get this thing done. The arena situation there is tough. It’s tough to pull off. So that’s been the challenge with Africa as a whole. We’re trying to figure it out. The place that we would have to do it at is outdoors, and you know how I feel about that. So I’ve been trying to figure out the weather and one of the big things that I’ve been hearing out there is that wind is a big problem. We’ve done it a couple times, but anything that could affect the outcome of the fight makes me not even want to try. And it’s anything … from wind, rain, bugs, too much humidity. A lot of things can interfere with the fight.”
It has been reported that the Cape Town Stadium was considering spending R30 million on a temporary roof.
The FNB Stadium in Johannesburg is also a possible venue – but again would need a roof installed.
Meanwhile, as reported by The South African website, White confirmed that former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is next on the docket for Du Plessis.
“Tarzan” dropped a close decision – and the belt – when he battled “Stillknocks” at UFC 297 in Toronto in Canada in January 2024.
Du Plessis defended his title against Israel Adesanya in Perth in Australia in August.
Australia is expected to serve as back-up in case UFC Africa falls through.
No date has been set for the Du Plessis-Strickland rematch, but it has been suggested the duo won’t throw hands until March 2025 at the earliest.
Who wins the rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland?
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