UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis Ready For the Challenge Khamzat Chimaev Can Bring

Khamzat Chimaev debuted with a flash of lightning in 2020. While Chimaev was fighting opposition at the appropriate level for a new fighter in the UFC, he racked up style points that suggested he may be fast-tracked for a shot at either the middleweight or welterweight title. But that isn’t how life worked out.
Chimaev won three fights in four months during his first year in the UFC. But since then, injury and illness have held Chimaev back from reaching his immense potential. Chimaev, however, has started to show his old form recently.
MMAfighting latest news shows that Chimaev is back on everyone’s radar following an impressive win over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Chimaev submitted Whittaker in impressive fashion, breaking his jaw and shooting himself up the rankings.
It is likely that Chimaev is now second in line for the belt, barring an injury to Sean Strickland. Current champion Dricus du Plessis said he isn’t worried about the undefeated Chimaev.
‘Can’t Wait to Take Your 0’

Du Plessis took note of Chimaev’s performance against Whittaker. It would have been impossible not to. Chimaev took down the former champion in the first round and quickly locked up a submission.
Chimaev improved to 14-0 with the victory and has now won two consecutive fights against former champions. He previously beat former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman by decision, according to the best MMA news site.
Du Plessis took to social media to express his interest in fighting Chimaev. Specifically, du Plessis mentioned that he wanted to be the first fighter to beat Chimaev. It will be an interesting possible future challenger for du Plessis, who is hoping to have a fight in his native South Africa.
While du Plessis is OK with fighting Strickland next, he is insisting that the fans would rather see him fight Chimaev. Strickland lost the belt to du Plessis in a narrow split decision. But Strickland’s style isn’t the most pleasing to watch.
A matchup with Chimaev is more likely to produce fireworks. Du Plessis has a lot more power in his hands, but would have to try and deal with Chimaev’s intense grappling.
Mind Games May Not Work with Chimaev

Du Plessis becoming champion wasn’t something many people thought was possible after his first few fights in the UFC. When du Plessis won a fight, pundits on MMA breaking news would point to his ugly striking style. During fights, du Plessis would often blitz in with powerful combinations, leaving him open to getting clipped.
But so far, no one has figured out how to do that. At UFC 305, du Plessis finally had his matchup with Israel Adesanya. The two men had an ugly buildup to their fight. Du Plessis said he wanted to be the first real African champion in the UFC.
Adesanya was born in Ghana before moving to New Zealand. Some people thought du Plessis went too far with his trash talk surrounding Adesanya’s heritage. Before du Plessis’ fight with Strickland, he made insensitive comments about Strickland being abused. Chimaev is less likely to get pulled into a war of words.
Chiamev is confident in his abilities and won’t be worried about what du Plessis has to say.
DDP’s Rise to Power Has Been Impressive
Du Plessis is undefeated during his time in the UFC. During du Plessis’ last fight, his eighth with the promotion, he may have turned in his best performance. Du Plessis was able to hang in with Adesanya’s striking prowess.
In the fourth round, du Plessis became the first-ever fighter to submit Adesanya to defend his title. Du Plessis won a narrow split decision to win the belt against Sean Strickland. What has made du Plessis such an exciting fighter has been his ability to finish fights. He doesn’t have just one way he can bring a fight to a stop.
DDP has won nine times by knockout and 11 times by submission. Anyone who wants to fight du Plessis has to be prepared for anything. While DDP’s conditioning has been called into question before, he proved during his fight with Strickland that he is capable of going all five rounds.
Is Chimaev Destined for a Title?
In the cage, there is little to complain about when it comes to Chimaev. Chimaev, 30, is young. He fights in an exciting style. Chimaev’s speaking ability is good, and he has a good sense of humor.
What stands between Chimaev and smashing through the glass ceiling is discipline. He has struggled to make weight during his career. There was one UFC card where Chimaev’s inability to make weight nearly got the entire event canceled. If Chimaev wants to be a long-time champion, he needs to show he can maintain the discipline to make weight. Before his win over Whittaker, Chimaev needed extra time to make weight and barely hit the mark.
Should Chimaev Skip Ahead in Line?
Strickland, if the world were just, should probably be the next fighter to challenge for the title. But the world isn’t always fair. Strickland’s fighting style isn’t fun to watch.
He is a disciplined fighter who doesn’t carry a lot of power in his hands. Another fight between Strickland and DDP may be another 25-minute battle that comes down to the judges getting involved. It’s hard to imagine that’s the product the UFC wants to put out there.
Instead, Chimaev promises a type of fight that would be more wild and should end inside the distance. However, there are a lot of unknown variables that come with having Chimaev scheduled for a card.
Can he make a championship weight? Will he have to pull out due to injury or illness? I would prefer to see the Chimaev-DDP fight, but still think Strickland should be next because of his reliability.
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By Dean McHugh.