TORONTO – Khamzat Chimaev’s next fight won’t be for the UFC middleweight title if Dricus Du Plessis has anything to say about it.
Du Plessis (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is set to challenge Sean Strickland (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) for the 185-pound belt in the UFC 297 main event on Jan. 20 at Scotiabank Arena, and Chimaev is one of the names waiting in the wings to fight the winner.
The unbeaten Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) was named as the next title contender when he defeated Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in October, but has since revealed a lingering hand injury and other health complications prevented him from getting the title fight.
More recently, though, Chimaev said he expects to face Strickland next coming out of UFC 297, but Du Plessis obviously disagrees, and sees a more logical matchup for a potential first defense.
“As far as I know Khamzat’s a welterweight,” Du Plessis told MMA Junkie. “What middleweight did he fight? He fought at middleweight, but he fought a welterweight (in Usman). Gerald Meerschaert? When was that? Was he even ranked? No, he wasn’t ranked. So, that makes absolutely no sense.
“The UFC promised him a title fight? Where in the world does that happen? And he says he’s fighting Strickland. No, you’re not. If there’s a champion, if you get a title shot, I’m the champion. You’re not going to get a title shot. And Israel Adesanya? That makes sense.”
Du Plessis, 29, said his goal as UFC champion is to be “unapologetically myself.” Part of that is vocalizing his opinions on the state of the weight class.
Which direction the UFC brass wants to go if Du Plessis claims gold in their upcoming pay-per-view headliner remains to be seen. But ultimately it’s not of much concern at the moment. He is only focused on winning the next fight and is confident the future will play out in his favor.
“This fight, just like every other fight, has consumed me,” Du Plessis said. “The title has always been the next step. Step closer to the title and closer to the title. Right now my step, the one big step – but far from the final step – is fighting for that belt. In my mind, my whole life can stop on that night. I’ll win or I’ll die trying. My life and my mind stops after that fight.
“After that fight, my whole life is in front of me. This, to me, is the end for me, because this has been the goal for such a long time. This goal. I don’t really care what happens after that for now. I’ll start thinking about what happens after that when we get there. Then my planning starts with the rest of my career. I’m really excited for that part, because it’s even more spectacular. But for now, this is the end of Dricus not as a champion. That ends next week. Saturday.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.
Dricus Du Plessis: Khamzat Chimaev title shot after UFC 297 ‘makes absolutely no sense’