Khamzat Chimaev could steal Dricus du Plessis' spot as the next middleweight title challenger: Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya has addressed the possibility of Khamzat Chimaev stealing Dricus du Plessis' spot as the next challenger for the UFC middleweight title. Reigning UFC middleweight champion Adesanya was initially expected to defend his title against du Plessis at UFC 293 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, on September 10th, 2023.
However, Dricus du Plessis didn't accept the fight owing to an injury. As per Israel Adesanya, a foot injury issue was the reason behind du Plessis' withdrawal.
The UFC then booked Adesanya to defend his title against Sean Strickland at the UFC 293 pay-per-view. Besides, over the past several months, undefeated UFC welterweight and middleweight fighter Khamzat Chimaev has hinted at wanting to compete for the 185-pound title.
Khamzat Chimaev is currently scheduled to fight middleweight mainstay Paulo Costa at UFC 294 on October 21st, 2023. Many foresee 'Borz' possibly earning a middleweight title shot if he beats Costa. Alternatively, others believe that du Plessis is likely to fight the Adesanya-Strickland winner for the middleweight title.
In a video posted to his FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya was asked about whether his rival Dricus du Plessis might miss out on the next title shot if Chimaev puts on a dominant performance against Costa. Adesanya responded by stating:
"Definitely. Again, I do want to fight Dricus. But he has to know he's not calling the shots here. That's the thing. I am. So again, a guy who, 'Oh, my foot is this. My foot's that.'"
Jestingly referring to the time UFC megastar Conor McGregor claimed his injured foot was a balloon, Adesanya added:
"Yeah, look at me, my foot's a balloon. But yeah, we'll see. We'll see."
Watch Adesanya discuss the topic at 4:44 in the video below:
A closer look at Khamzat Chimaev's UFC run ahead of a potential dream matchup against Israel Adesanya
The 29-year-old Chechnya-born Swedish grappling savant Khamzat Chimaev entered the UFC with a 6-0 professional MMA record. In his UFC run thus far, he's competed at both welterweight and middleweight, amassing a 6-0 UFC record and taking his overall MMA record to 12-0.
His six UFC victories have seen him defeat John Phillips, Rhys McKee, Gerald Meerschaert, Li Jingliang, Gilbert Burns, and Kevin Holland. Except for the Burns matchup, all of Chimaev's aforesaid victories came via stoppage (KO/TKO or submission).
That said, Khamzat Chimaev's momentum took a hit last year. His most recent fight witnessed him miss weight for his scheduled welterweight bout against Nate Diaz at UFC 279 in September 2022. The UFC rebooked 'Borz' to face Kevin Holland in a 180-pound catchweight bout at UFC 279, and Chimaev ended up beating Holland via first-round submission.
In the ensuing months, Chimaev has repeatedly hinted that his next fight would probably be at middleweight. Apart from issuing multiple call-outs to UFC middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya, 'Borz' claims that he'll soon be a two-division UFC world champion.