Dricus du Plessis gets honest about desire to fight Khamzat Chimaev after UFC 312 win, dismisses Chechen-born fighter's "Boogeyman" status

Dricus du Plessis recently provided his take on the potential Khamzat Chimaev fight. The reigning UFC middleweight champion wants to change everyone's opinion of Chimaev as an unstoppable force.

Although there hasn't been any official announcement yet, Chimaev is the front-runner to challenge du Plessis for the 185-pound title next due to his impressive performances inside the octagon. In a recent conversation with Ariel Helwani on his podcast The Ariel Helwani Show, the reigning champ denied claims that Chimaev was undeserving of a title opportunity, saying:

''No, I just don't care really, he's [Chimaev] a big name. I think after the Whittaker win, sure why not.''

Du Plessis added that a probable win over Chimaev would solidify his legacy in the middleweight class:

''People think of Khamzat as this boogeyman. That's a fact. I don't. I don't see that. For me, I only see one thing. That's the potential to do good to my legacy. The potential to make my legacy even better."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below:

Chimaev made a strong case for himself after a dominant victory over Robert Whittaker in the co-main event of UFC 308. The 30-year-old submitted Whittaker via a tight rear-naked choke, breaking the former champion's jaw.

Many anticipated that Chimaev would face 'Stillknocks' next after defeating Whittaker. However, the promotion put the South African up against Sean Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312 earlier this month, which du Plessis won by unanimous decision. The reigning champion stated at the post-fight press conference that he would like to take on Chimaev next, saying:

''Khamzat is next. I want to make sure that this belt, that his middleweight title, that there is no question that I’m the GOAT of the middleweight division... I’m not rushing that my next fight is Alex Pereira. No – I want Khamzat next.” [H/t: MMA Knockout]

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Dricus du Plessis hits back at his critics

Despite defeating elite opponents in his professional career, Dricus du Plessis' unconventional fighting style, which involves swinging his hands while moving forward, has led to him being ridiculed by many in the MMA community.

In the aforementioned conversation with Ariel Helwani, du Plessis slammed those criticizing him:

''When the media talks about [my] fighting not being good, I always say to myself, 'What on earth do you know about fighting? You're sitting behind your computer. So you don't know anything about fighting. So don't tell me how to fight. I'm in the UFC, you're in media.'"

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (via Jedi Goodman's X post):