Dricus Du Plessis has weighed in on Sean Strickland's title reign, describing it as featuring zero defenses. Du Plessis also suggested that a rematch with Khamzat Chimaev is questionable.
Dricus Du Plessis has gone on the record to question Sean Strickland's standing in middleweight history, pointing out that Strickland's current title reign has included zero successful title defenses. The South African also cast doubt on the likelihood of his own rematch with Khamzat Chimaev materializing.
Du Plessis, 32, carries a 23-3-0 record and sits at number two in the middleweight division, also ranking seventh pound-for-pound. Fighting out of Team CIT, the six-foot-one South African is an aggressive switch-stance striker who lands 5.18 significant strikes per minute and supplements his offense with 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes. His reach measures 193 cm.
Strickland, 35, holds the middleweight championship with a 31-7-0 record fighting out of Xtreme Couture. The six-foot-one orthodox striker from the United States leads the division in volume, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute, though his accuracy sits at 42 percent. It is the absence of a title defense on his resume that Du Plessis chose to highlight when assessing the American's legacy.
Chimaev, the number-one-ranked middleweight and tenth in the pound-for-pound standings, holds a 15-1-0 record fighting out of Allstars Training Center under UAE affiliation. At 32, the six-foot-two orthodox grappler is one of the division's most dominant wrestlers, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes with a 60 percent striking accuracy. Du Plessis suggested a second meeting between the two remains uncertain.
Why it matters
- Strickland has yet to defend the middleweight title, leaving his reign's legitimacy open to debate from contenders.
- Du Plessis at number two and Chimaev at number one represent the division's clearest threats to the championship picture.
- Any scheduling uncertainty around a Chimaev rematch could reshape the queue of contenders at 185 pounds.
