It’s now certain that Dricus Du Plessis will defend his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev later this year—just not during International Fight Week. ‘Borz’ has long haunted the division, dragging opponents into deep waters with relentless pressure. His war against Robert Whittaker was a loud message to the champ: ready or not, he’s coming. But while Chimaev’s dominance has seemed inevitable, Chael Sonnen has thrown a wrench into the narrative—firmly backing Du Plessis in the ever-heated debate.
Back in February, during a conversation with his audience, Chael Sonnen expressed doubts about Du Plessis’ ability to defend the takedowns that Chimaev would be throwing, “Is he [Du Plessis] good enough to defend the takedowns of Chimaev? Let’s go further with it. Is he good enough to take Chimaev down?” Uncle Chael asked this question to his fans, who appeared to have called him out for disregarding the South African. Interestingly, the former middleweight title challenger seemed to have changed his tune.
In his recent YouTube video, Sonnen has explained that he might have been wrong all of this time, “It’s very interesting. It’s very interesting how things have shifted and changed for Dricus. And I will share with you—if you asked me about that fight two years ago, or a year ago, or even six months ago—I would have quickly dismissed it and told you Chimaev. I would tell you Chimaev every single round.”
He further added, “But I don’t feel that way anymore. I feel, and I’m seeing what other people are feeling and seeing now.” Khamzat Chimaev is arguably the best wrestler in the middleweight division, with accolades that could even put professional wrestlers to shame. His first-round submission victory over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was the cherry on top of his UFC resume. However, despite all of these records, dealing with Dricus Du Plessis is a different kind of challenge.
“I’m not in a rush for my next fight to be Alex Pereira. No—I want Khamzat next. I think he deserves a hiding,” said Dricus Du Plessis after successfully defending his title for the second time against Sean Strickland. The South African remains undefeated in the UFC, while Khamzat Chimaev has yet to taste defeat in his MMA career. Their potential clash promises to be nothing short of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
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Their clash is yet to be announced, but one thing is certain—it will happen this year. The question remains: does Du Plessis have a game plan for Chimaev? Let’s find out.
Dricus Du Plessis laid out plan to defeat Khamzat Chimaev
After his UFC 312 endeavor against Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis was asked about his game plan against Khamzat Chimaev, to which the middleweight champion stated, “Counter the jab? Oh no, that was Strickland’s game plan. Let me think… the blitz? Nah, that was Rob. Yeah, I’ll just out-wrestle him—that’s the game plan.”
Dricus Du Plessis is a fighter who’s incredibly difficult to predict. Just when you think he’s gassed out, he seems to strap on a tank of nitrous oxide and come at you with full force. Most of his highlights feature him throwing seemingly random shots at his opponents—a chaotic style that, arguably, has worked in his favor. Du Plessis outstruck Sean Strickland, submitted Israel Adesanya, and knocked out Whittaker. Other than him, no one else would even think of defeating these fighters at their own strengths.
Interestingly, Robert Whittaker, who has fought both Du Plessis and Chimaev, acknowledged that ‘Borz’s’ wrestling could be a major factor. “Stopping that first takedown is so crazy. The way he [Chimaev] shoots that first shot is insane. How do you stop that dude? Jump over him?” Whittaker asked on his podcast. However, the Aussie did emphasize that the sheer size of the South African might be a big problem for the Chechen.
The fight of the equals should be the name of this middleweight battle—but when will they clash? The date is yet to be confirmed, but one thing is certain: it’s going to be absolute fire. Given that, what are your thoughts on their battle? State your opinion in the comments below.
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