South African MMA fighter, Dricus Du Plessis, is prepared to take on the current middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, but he still has some advice for former champion Israel Adesanya.

The Nigerian-born mixed martial artist has spoken about making a comeback in the year 2027 and if Adesanya really means to take a four year break; it’s nothing but trouble for himself, according to Du Plessis.

According to Du Plessis, 2027 is way too long for Adesanya to take a break from fighting although well deserved.

“As a champion, he showed up. He didn’t shy away from fights,” Du Plessis said in a recent interview with James Lynch.

“He fought everybody, some people twice. He was very active as a champion and now I think he deserves some time away from the sport. He said 2027. If he comes back in 2027, he’s gonna get hurt. He shouldn’t do that but maybe take a year off, that’ll be good for him.”

Adesanya held the middleweight title from 2019 to 2022 and in this time, he defended his title five times. That is no small feat.

Now, ‘The Last Stylebender’ has lost his crown but fans doubt if he’s lost his spirit too.

“2027. Look for the return. I’ll see you then.” He joked in a very short interview ahead of Kamaru Usman’s fight in Saudi Arabia in October. It’s most likely that Adesanya will return much sooner than that.

Now, Dricus Du Plessis is meant to go up against Strickland at UFC 297 on January 20, 2024. Strickland took Adesanya’s belt from him and has been riding that high. In Du Plessis, he has perhaps the most eligible challenger.