Beating Chimaev ‘warrants a double title fight’

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 through Robert Whittaker for a first-round submission this previous Saturday at UFC 308, he’s now interested in undefeated “Borz.”

Along 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 gentle 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 battle,” Du Plessis informed ESPN. “And I feel that may simply be it. I’ve a imaginative and prescient, and I can’t image one thing extra good than that.

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

Du Plessis clarifies he’ll battle 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 battle.

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

“However if you happen to go on what the followers need proper now, it’s positively not the Strickland battle. In case you ask what I need, I wish to battle the perfect man. I wish to battle the man the followers need me to battle, and that one hundred pc is Khamzat. If they offer me the Strickland battle, nice, I’ll battle Strickland in February, March or each time, after which battle Khamzat.”