Dricus du Plessis gets brutally honest about potential Islam Makhachev fight at middleweight ahead of UFC 312: "There’s a big difference there"

Dricus du Plessis recently responded to Islam Makhachev’s bold claim that he’d move up two weight divisions for a crack at the UFC middleweight champion. Makhachev, fresh off a dominant first-round finish over Renato Moicano at UFC 311, said he’s ready to face du Plessis if given the opportunity.

Du Plessis praised Makhachev’s performance, calling him an incredible fighter and champion. He also acknowledged Moicano as a tough opponent, but the South African dismissed the idea of a potential fight anytime soon. For now, his focus remains on defending his middleweight belt against Sean Strickland at UFC 312 in February.

'Stillknocks' added that while he respects Makhachev’s confidence, he believes he would dominate him in any scenario. Comparing their sizes, du Plessis noted that Makhachev is a big lightweight, but he is a big middleweight, making the matchup unrealistic at this time.

Shedding light on a potential clash with Makhachev in a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia, du Plessis said:

"Firstly, incredible performance by him. Moicana is a great fighter and for Islam to do what he did, incredible champion and a great fighter. And kudos for saying what he did afterwards. I didn’t make much of it though."[H/t: Fox Sports Australia]

He added:

"Look, he trains with 185ers in his gym. But there is only one world champion. So kudos to him for saying what he did, but it doesn’t really matter because I’ll overpower him in any situation. I know he walks around heavy. But I walk around heavy. He’s a big lightweight, I’m a big middleweight. There’s a big difference there."

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Israel Adesanya previews the upcoming Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland clash

Israel Adesanya believes the UFC 312 rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland will be challenging for both fighters.

Du Plessis, undefeated in the UFC, defends his middleweight title against Strickland on Feb. 8 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Adesanya expects the rematch to resemble their first encounter at UFC 297, where du Plessis won by split decision. He predicted that the South African may edge out another victory, possibly more decisively this time.

Speaking about the matchup in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Adesanya said:

“I say that Dricus wins that one if it’s close, maybe. Or maybe it’s more decisive this time. It’s going to be a hard fight for both men, but I think I would give the edge to Dricus in this fight.”

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (7:30):