"He's going to find out what strength really feels like” - Dricus du Plessis warns Khamzat Chimaev that his style won’t work against him
Dricus du Plessis is set to take on Sean Strickland for the middleweight title at UFC 297 in January.
'Stillknocks' seemed likely to face Israel Adesanya for the title at UFC 293 in September but withdrew from contention due to injury. Many, including Adesanya, stated that du Plessis had missed his chance to fight for gold and that the opportunity may not come around again.
However, fortune has worked out well for the surging middleweight contender. Khamzat Chimaev picked up an injury against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294, which has possibly led to Dricus du Plessis being granted a title shot against Strickland.
Prior to UFC 294, CEO Dana White had announced that the winner of Chimaev vs. Usman would face 'Tarzan' next. Despite 'Borz' being unavailable for a fight in January, he could certainly face the winner of Strickland vs. du Plessis.
That said, Dricus du Plessis doesn't believe that Khamzat Chimaev's style will match up favorably against him. The South African broke down a potential clash with 'Borz' during a recent interview with James Lynch, where he said:
"I don't think [Chimaev] realizes the power difference between 170 and 185. In terms of style, he tries to outpower everybody he fights, because he wants to show how strong he is. If he fights me and he fights that way, he's going to find out what strength really feels like."
Watch the video below from 19:15:
Dricus du Plessis comments on Israel Adesanya's hiatus from fighting
Following Dricus du Plessis' victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, he shared an intense face-off with Israel Adesanya that indicated that the pair would clash next.
However, du Plessis made himself unavailable for the proposed UFC 293 card in September, and Sean Strickland was drafted in to replace him.
'Tarzan' stunned the world as he dominated Adesanya for all five rounds and was crowned the new middleweight champion. In October, 'The Last Stylebender' announced that he would be taking a break from MMA.
During an interview later in the month, Adesanya then jested that he would only return in 2027, but his actual timeline is unclear at this stage.
Dricus du Plessis was asked to share his thoughts on Adesanya's hiatus from fighting during the aforementioned interview with James Lynch. He said:
"The man [Adesanya] was active. As a champion, he showed up and didn't shy away from fights. He fought everybody, some people twice. He deserves some time away from the sport. He said 2027... If he comes back in 2027, he's going to get hurt. You shouldn't do that." [20:00-20:25]