Beating Chimaev ‘warrants a double title combat’

If Dricus Du Plessis can add Khamzat Chimaev’s identify to his resume, he’s anticipating large issues.

Middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) was angling to run issues again with Sean Strickland for his subsequent title protection, however after Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ran by Robert Whittaker for a first-round submission this previous Saturday at UFC 308, he’s now excited by undefeated “Borz.”

Together with his previous three wins coming over Whittaker, Strickland and Israel Adesanya, Du Plessis thinks handing Chimaev his first profession loss ought to set him up for a shot on the mild heavyweight title – ideally in his residence nation of South Africa.

“If I beat Khamzat Chimaev – I beat Robert Whittaker, then I beat Sean Strickland, then I beat Israel Adesanya, then I beat Khamzat Chimaev, that warrants a double title combat,” Du Plessis instructed ESPN. “And I feel which may simply be it. I’ve a imaginative and prescient, and I can’t image one thing extra excellent than that.

“However to be utterly sincere, I don’t care who it’s. South Africa would go loopy regardless of who I combat. … On the finish of the day, there’s a aim that must be reached, and that’s preventing in my residence nation and getting that second belt. To do these on the identical night time, that may be fairly candy.”

Du Plessis clarifies he’ll combat whoever the UFC provides, however after Chimaev’s spectacular end of Whittaker, the champion says that’s who the followers are clamouring for him to combat.

“The conversations had been extra about me preventing Strickland,” Du Plessis mentioned. “However there was a really large cause no contracts have been signed, and I’m saying this as an opinion: I agreed – I mentioned I’ll combat Strickland, excellent, and that’s the combat the followers need.

“However for those who go on what the followers need proper now, it’s positively not the Strickland combat. For those who ask what I need, I wish to combat the most effective man. I wish to combat the man the followers need me to combat, and that 100% is Khamzat. If they offer me the Strickland combat, nice, I’ll combat Strickland in February, March or every time, after which combat Khamzat.”