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Dricus du Plessis recently expressed his thoughts on the middleweight division and the next challenger for his UFC title. According to the reigning champion, Robert Whittaker should not be given a title shot if he beats Khamzat Chimaev at UFC Saudi Arabia.
Whittaker is preparing for his second fight of the year. He is scheduled to face Chimaev in a title eliminator for the middleweight championship in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia. The Fight Night event will take place on June 22 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
In a recent interview with FightWave, du Plessis discussed the possible contenders for his title. He feels that Whittaker won't be entitled to a championship opportunity if he defeats Chimaev.
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''Should [Khamzat] beat Whittaker, I would love to fight Khamzat. In my opinion, should Whittaker beat Khamzat, I don't think it warrants him a title shot.''
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'Stillknocks' also stated his desire to see Whittaker fight former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland for No. 1 contender status.
''Honestly would love to see [Whittaker] and Strickland fight it out for #1 contender fight.''
Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below:
In his last octagon outing earlier this year at UFC 297, du Plessis squared off against Strickland. He defeated the American to capture the middleweight title, making him the first fighter from South Africa to win UFC gold.
Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya are anticipated to square off at UFC 305, which will take place in Perth, Australia, in August. Both middleweights have hinted at the fight, even though it hasn't been formally announced yet. Moreover, it appears that he and 'The Last Stylebender' have begun their training camp.
What's next for Dricus du Plessis?
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is expected to face Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title. 'Stillknocks' gave an update on the timeline for his next fight during the aforementioned interview.
He indicated that, if not Adesanya, then he is prepared for a rematch with Sean Strickland or a possible fight against Khamzat Chimaev.
''I don't know... I've said yes, 100%. I don't know from his side, I don't know what the story is, I don't know what the hold up is. Maybe the UFC is waiting for something, I'm not sure. At the end of the day, I've agreed to it. If they had to phone me today and say we're doing the Sean Strickland second fight, I'll be like great, let's do it. If they say no, we're going to wait and do the Khamzat fight, great."
Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (28:41):
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