"I’m more than willing to take it on 3 weeks' notice or are you retired now?" - Dricus Du Plessis calls out Darren Till in the wake of "bro" Khamzat Chimaev headlining UFC 279
With Khamzat Chimaev headlining UFC 279 opposite Nate Diaz in September, Dricus Du Plessis thought it would be the perfect time to call out the Chechen-born Swede's good friend Darren Till for a fight on the same card.
Taking to Twitter, 'Stillknocks' challenged the Brit, insisting that he is more than ready to take the fight on just three weeks' notice. Here's what the South African middleweight fighter wrote:
"So @darrentill2 your bro @KChimaev is headlining #UFC279, heard you might be looking for a an easy fight to get back in the winner’s circle I’m more than willing to take it on 3 weeks notice or are you retired now?"
Dricus Du Plessis is riding a five-fight win streak, which includes four stoppages. The 28-year-old most recently outpointed Brad Tavares in July.
Darren Till was scheduled to make his octagon return in the co-main event of UFC London last month. However, 'The Gorilla' was forced to pull out of the bout after suffering an injury. While there's no update on when Till plans to return, having him on the same card as Khamzat Chimaev will no doubt add more weight to the pay-per-view card.
Will Khamzat Chimaev get a welterweight title shot if he beats Nate Diaz?
Khamzat Chimaev will take on Nate Diaz in a highly anticipated welterweight bout on September 10. Should 'Borz' beat Diaz – which many expect him to do – the undefeated welterweight could earn a crack at the 170-pound title, according to Dana White.
Speaking to the media at the Contender Series press conference earlier this week, the UFC chief was asked if Chimaev could be next in line for a title shot with a win over the Stockton native. White replied:
"It’s fair. I don’t ever do that s**t, but yeah, it’s fair to say if he wins, that’s the fight to make."
Watch Dana White discuss Khamzat Chimaev below:
Chimaev (11-0) has won all five of his UFC bouts since making his promotional debut in mid-2020. 'Borz' is fresh off a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Gilbert Burns in April. Prior to that win, the 28-year-old looked unstoppable with his performances.
Diaz, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back losses inside the ocagon. The 37-year-old veteran has only won one fight in the last six years.