Dricus Du Plessis will fight Sean Strickland if that’s what the people want, but he’s far more interested in a clash with Khamzat Chimaev.
‘Borz’ returned to the Octagon at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi and secured a shocking first-round submission victory over Robert Whittaker, forcing ‘The Reaper’ to tap out almost instantly to a neck crank that left him with some jacked-up teeth.
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In the eyes of many, ‘Borz’ jumped to the front of the line in the middleweight division with his eighth-straight win under the UFC banner. Unfortunately, the promotion already promised Sean Strickland an opportunity to run back his UFC 297 clash with the South African—a spot he has no intention of giving up.
But as they say in MMA, anything is possible and Du Plessis made it abundantly clear who he’d prefer to fight next if allowed to choose.
“The conversations [have been] more about me fighting Strickland,” Du Plessis told ESPN. “But there was a very big reason no contracts have been signed, and I’m saying this as an opinion. I agreed that I’ll fight Strickland, perfect — and that’s the fight the fans want. But if you go on what the fans want right now, it’s definitely not the Strickland fight.
“If you ask what I want, I want to fight the best guy. I want to fight the guy the fans want me to fight. And that’s 100 percent Khamzat.”
Chimaev May Be Strong, But He’s Never Felt the Kind of Power that Dricus Du Plessis is Packing
Chances are, Chimaev will be favored over any middleweight fighter he’s matched up with next—even if it’s the reigning champ.
Asked about a potential showdown between the two in 2025, Du Plessis acknowledged that ‘Borz’ packs impressive power and world-class wrestling, but that won’t make him any less confident about coming out on top and retaining his title.
“You know, when it comes to strength, there’s not a doubt in my mind [I’m stronger},” Du Plessis said. “Khamzat is a strong guy, but I don’t think — no, I know for a fact — that he’s never felt power like this. When it comes to his wrestling, obviously that’s his strong suit and where he likes to take the fight, and I would welcome that if I had to fight him. Let’s meet strengths and see who can last.”
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Having already beaten Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland, and Israel Adesanya, ‘Stillknocks’ thinks a win over Khamzat Chimaev will be more than enough to earn him an opportunity at what he really wants—a shot at champ-champ status.
“If I beat Khamzat Chimaev… I beat Robert Whittaker, then I beat Sean Strickland, then I beat Israel Adesanya, then I beat Khamzat Chimaev. That warrants a double title fight, and I think that might just be it…
“There’s a goal that needs to be reached, and that is fighting in my home country and getting that second belt. To do those on the same night, that would be pretty sweet.”
Watch the full interview below: