Dricus du Plessis has publicly advised the UFC to avoid booking what he called a 'ridiculous' fight for Khamzat Chimaev upon his return to competition. The middleweight champion weighed in on how the promotion should handle Chimaev's comeback.
Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has gone public with a warning to the UFC, urging the promotion not to hand Khamzat Chimaev an ill-advised comeback opponent when "Borz" returns to competition.
Du Plessis, who holds a 23-3-0 record and currently sits at number two in the middleweight rankings and seventh in the pound-for-pound standings, described any such booking as "ridiculous." The 32-year-old South African, who trains out of Team CIT, is a physically imposing presence at six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach. He lands 5.18 significant strikes per minute and mixes his offense with 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him one of the division's most well-rounded threats.
Chimaev, meanwhile, is ranked number one in the middleweight division and sits tenth in the pound-for-pound rankings. Also 32 years old, the UAE-based fighter carries a 15-1-0 record and has built a reputation on suffocating grappling, averaging an elite 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.8 submission attempts in the same span. His striking accuracy of 60 percent is among the best in the division, even as he absorbs opponents in the clinch and on the mat.
Why it matters
- Chimaev is the division's top-ranked contender, making his comeback fight a direct factor in who challenges for Du Plessis's title next.
- A soft return opponent for Chimaev could fast-track a title shot without a marquee tune-up, which appears to be Du Plessis's core objection.
- The stylistic collision between Du Plessis's switch-stance striking volume and Chimaev's dominant wrestling would make a future title fight one of the most anticipated in recent middleweight history.
