Ariel Helwani refutes rumors of Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya fight deal, claims both fighters yet to receive official offers from UFC

Ariel Helwani has denied the rumors surrounding the much-awaited middleweight title fight between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. In a statement to X, the MMA journalist clarified that an official proposal for the fight has not yet been made.

For a while now, fans have been eagerly awaiting the highly anticipated matchup between Du Plessis and Adesanya. Despite being scheduled to fight multiple times, the South African’s injuries and timing issues prevented the fight from happening. However, with ‘Stillknocks’ now holding the middleweight title, he has expressed his desire to defend his title against ‘The Last Stylebender’ and even suggested that the fight could take place in Australia.

UFC 305 is set to take place in Perth, Australia on Aug. 18, nearly a year after its original scheduled date.

Despite coming off an impressive win over Robert Whittaker last year, Du Plessis was unable to secure a title shot against then champion Adesanya due to an injury that prevented him from making a quick turnaround.

Helwani utilized his X account to address a tweet regarding the middleweight championship fight and denied the speculation that it was planned for UFC 305. He stated:

“I’m told Israel Adesanya hasn’t officially been offered this yet, BUT if he does, he’s 100% in. (And fwiw, I’m told DDP hasn’t officially been offered yet, too. But this what both camps would like to happen).”

It remains to be seen if the UFC 305 headliner will feature Du Plessis vs. Adesanya, or if the promotion has different plans for the fight’s date and location.

Ariel Helwani responds to accusations of using fighters for personal gain

On yesterday’s episode of The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani found himself in an unexpected debate as he was faced with criticism from Joaquin Buckley.

UFC welterweight Buckley accused the Canadian of using fighters for his own gain and asking them questions that could potentially lead to repercussions from the promotion. In response, Helwani defended his show by stating that he sees it as a platform for fans to gain insight into the lives of the fighters. He stated:

“Honestly, I don’t agree…Do you think I’m trying to make the fighters look bad?…15 years I’ve been doing this show. I have the fighters on because I love the fighters and respect the fighters and wanna give them an opportunity to tell their stories and be able to learn more.”