Middleweight contender Dricus du Plessis was left unimpressed by Khamzat Chimaev’s return against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294.
The pairing battled it out until the final bell last weekend in the card’s co-main event. The night was headlined by a Lightweight title clash between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski, the latter coming in on late notice and succumbing to a first round knock out.
It has been claimed that the victor of Chimaev and Usman’s fight would challenge for the 185 lbs belt next. Du Plessis, however, has also been waiting in the wings for a title shot.
The Next Title Challenger?
Since Dana White’s admission that the winner of UFC 294’s co-main event will get a title shot, eyes have been on du Plessis. The comment will certainly have perked the South African’s interest, given he was originally set to face former champ Israel Adesanya for the belt.
‘Stillknocks‘ was forced out due to a foot injury. The brash Sean Strickland stepped in on short notice, and went on to deliver one of the largest shocks in UFC history, outclassing ‘The Last Stylebender‘ to win via decision.
Chimaev overcame Usman to claim a tight majority decision victory. ‘Borz‘s output dropped significantly in the later rounds, however, and he believed to have broken his hand. This is now known to be a torn hand ligament.
Du Plessis was quick to correlate both his and Chimaev’s situations. He claims the Emirati should relinquish his promised title shot if he isn’t able to overcome the injury soon.
He told Fox West Texas: “When you look at this, I have one of two options. The first thing I can say is a little bit of a jab is Khamzat’s hand is broken, right? So he should be ready to fight in seven weeks or he forfeits his title shot because that’s what happened to me. I wasn’t ready to fight in seven weeks with a broken foot.
“It took me maybe a week or so to almost stop feeling sorry for myself like this is unfair. Life’s not fair, and the fight game is definitely not fair. I just said what I’ll do now is I’ll run over the whole division, which will only make my move to light heavyweight quicker and easier.
“Right now I’m not going to beg for any title shot. I’ve never begged for anything, I’ve fought for it.”
Dricus du Plessis Thoughts on Chimaev
Many in the global MMA community scored UFC 294’s co-main contest in favour of Usman, rather than Chimaev. ‘Borz‘ earned a 10-8 first round for himself after dominating ‘The Nigerian Nightmare‘ on the canvas, although landing minimal damage.
The injury certainly hampered the 29-year-old’s usual energetic efforts, resulting in a nervy remainder of the bout. The fight acted as Chimaev’s second appearance in 18 months, following a catchweight victory over Kevin Holland at UFC 279.
Du Plessis emerged as a viewer not convinced by ‘Borz‘s performance levels, and sees him as no threat to the 185 lbs belt. “If you want to give Khamzat the title shot, go right ahead,” he said. “Because Khamzat that fought this weekend loses to Sean Strickland every day of the week.”
The next UFC Middleweight title challenger is yet to be officially announced by the promotion. Both du Plessis and Chimaev will feel it is their right to battle Strickland for the belt next time out. Former champion Adesanya is seemingly out of action for the forseeable future, claiming he may not return until 2027.
Do you believe Dricus du Plessis should fight for the Middleweight title next? Do you agree with his comments on Chimaev? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
