Dricus Du Plessis really wants to fight against unbeaten middleweight competition Khamzat Chimaev.
UFC Middleweight Champion Dric Du Plessis did not hesitate to sign the dotted line for his UFC 312 Rematch with Sean Strickland. But as the negotiations progressed for his next fight after beating Israel Adesanya, Du Plessis hoped that the matchmakers Khamzat Chimaev would give the title shot instead of running back with his former rival.
Chimaev is probably the next one for the winner of Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 na UFC 312 this weekend, except for a few unforeseen circumstances. The unbeaten Mauler made a huge explanation in his most recent fight against former title holder Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, when Chimaev Whittaker hit and gave the former champion a nasty mouth injury.
After Chimaev's victory over UFC 308, some believed that he did enough to skip the line and overtake Strickland for the next middleweight title shot. If Du Plessis had his way, it would have been Chimaev instead of Strickland opposite him at the UFC 312 Main Event.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Dricus du Plessis praise Khamzat Chimaev prior to potential future title fight
In a recent interview with Daniel Cormier, Du Plessis revealed what went through when the UFC matchmakers set out its next middleweight defending defense.
“Absolutely not worried, I hoped and prayed [though]”Du Plessis said. “I looked at him and went, hey, I know they wanted Khamzat to be their husband for so long, he just couldn't do that. Now Khamzat is such an incredible hunter, he just couldn't fight constantly. Anyway, no matter how long he is the man and is just able to make that leap …
“Khamzat has a huge following, the hype is there. Khamzat deserves a special hunter. And I believe that once he fights against me, then when people will see how special I am. And I looked forward to having that fight, I wanted it so badly. '
If Du Plessis gets better from Strickland this weekend in their rematch, the Chimaev -Matchup would probably be the next middleweight title fight. But Nassourdine Imavov, who beat Adesanya in UFC Saudi Arabia earlier this month, is also firmly in the mix at 185 pounds.
Dricus Du Plessis has Alex Pereira, Khamzat Chimaev on his radar after UFC 312
Du Plessis has also plagued a potential future step to light heavyweight to challenge the 205LB title of Alex Pereira. Pereira will be confronted with Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC 313 Main Event next month, and with a victory the Brazilian would clean up most of the best light heavyweight contenders.
Du Plessis and Pereira have plagued a future fight against each other since the two star UFC world champions became. In anticipation of UFC 312, Strickland claimed that Pereira du Plessis hated and added more headlines to a potential booking.
As a new era is progressing in the UFC Middleweight Division, Du Plessis and Chimaev will inevitably clash in the Octagon. But the first thing is the first for the South African, while he wants to ward off another former champion during his young title line.
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