Dricus Du Plessis shared with fans that he wanted to fight Khamzat Chimaev next instead of having a rematch with the man he already defeated for the title.
The middleweight champion is set to face Sean Strickland at UFC 312 in February, just over a year after taking the belt from him in Toronto. But after Chimaev’s dominant win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, many fans thought Chimaev should skip the line.
While Strickland is a popular choice and more reliable than Chimaev, who has had issues with fights and weight, Chimaev is seen as a bigger challenge. Some believe he would test Du Plessis in ways Strickland may not.
Dricus Du Plessis Reveals He Was Interested in Khamzat Chimaev, Not Sean Strickland
After staying quiet on Saturday, Dricus Du Plessis finally spoke up on social media. He shared that he had hoped to fight Khamzat Chimaev next, but he pointed out that just before UFC 308, fans were mostly choosing Sean Strickland as his next opponent.
“Just for clarification I preferred the Khamzat fight,” Du Plessis wrote. “But the rematch is a fight most wanted before Khamzat vs Withaker. I’m not unhappy with the UFC’s decision like I said I’ll fight the man fans think is the next best guy he was promised the fight so Strickland it is.”
When Sean Strickland found out about his big fight, he didn’t focus on the champion. Instead, he got angry at Khamzat Chimaev. He made a short post about the fight but then went on a long rant online, saying a lot of bad things about Chimaev.
