Dricus du Plessis: “The Whole World Wants to See” Him Fight Khamzat Chimaev
By FCF Staff
Sean Strickland has repeatedly insisted he’s next for UFC middleweight champ, Dricus du Plessis. But, following Khamzat Chimaev’s impressive win over Robert Whittaker, the champion believes a fight with “Borz” is the one to make.
Strickland lost the middleweight title to du Plessis via split decision in January and has been campaigning for a rematch, especially after he defeated Paulo Costa in June. Du Plessis, however, has repeatedly questioned if a rematch with Strickland should be next.
More recently, following Chimaev’s quick submission win over Whittaker at UFC 308, du Plessis spoke with RadioRaps. While discussing Chimaev’s victory and whether he should fight for the title next, DDP made it clear he believes that fight makes sense (quotes via MMA Fighting.com).
“We always knew between Rob and Khamzat if there was going to be something exceptional that happens, there might be a change in the title fight,” du Plessis said. “We have no clarity on that, but as a fan of the sport and as the middleweight champion of the world, that’s a fight that gets me more excited, taking somebody’s 0. I’ve beaten Strickland before, and I know I’ll beat him again. Getting that Khamzat fight, that gets me excited.”
“I think the whole world wants to see it,” du Plessis added in the interview. “The fans ultimately pay to watch the fights, so the fight the world thinks is the best next fight, that’s what I want. So I think the Khamzat fight is 100 percent what I want. The UFC is going to do what they’re going to do, but from a fan perspective and from a fighter’s perspective, I think Khamzat should get the next shot.”
UFC CEO Dana White has previously said Strickland was going to face du Plessis next. But, following UFC 308, he was non-committal when asked whether that remained the case.