Israel Adesanya walks to the octagon. UFC 293, Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park Australia. Photo: Photosport
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has announced he will return to the octagon on 17 August. In a social media post on Monday night, Adesanya confirmed he will face Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 in Perth.
UFC president Dana White confirmed the main event, with a number of New Zealand-based fighters expected to follow Adesanya onto the card.
Adesanya posted "Never stole shine, never lost mine," with the fight date of August 17. The caption reads: ""The SUN of Africa is the same sun that lights up our planet. The SUN will set and will rise again until you walk into it. The SUN, enjoy while it shines. Darkness falls when it's gone."
It will be the first time Adesanya has been back in action since he lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland in September. He then hinted at a long hiatus and even retirement. The match up with South African du Plessis is a long awaited one, following on from a dramatic confrontation between the two after du Plessis' victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 last July.
Israel Adesanya's fight announcement. Photo: supplied
The beef between the two stems from du Plessis' claims of being the UFC's first "true African champion", which angered the Nigerian-born Adesanya into delivering a profanity-laden and racially charged tirade inside the octagon after the UFC 290 main event.
Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa. Photo: Vaughan Ridley/AFP
It looked to set up a title fight between the two late last year, however those plans were scuppered by Adesanya's loss to Strickland. Du Plessis then defeated Strickland for the middleweight title in January.
The event will mean a big day for the large South African community in Western Australia, with the Springboks playing the Wallabies at Optus Stadium on the evening of 17 August as well.