Dricus du Plessis has been engaged in a war of words with Khamzat Chimaev and Shara Magomedov. Amid the exchange, a fan mocked the South African, but the reigning UFC middleweight champion wasted no time clapping back.
Magomedov recently questioned Du Plessis’ credentials as middleweight champion and backed Khamzat Chimaev to dethrone him in a potential title fight.
This didn’t sit well with Du Plessis, who responded with a jab implying that they lack two of the five senses, seemingly referencing Magomedov’s injured eye and Chimaev’s scarred lip.
On The Ropes shared the champ's remarks on X, calling Du Plessis undefeated on the keyboard for his humorous comments. One user took the opportunity to take a jab at 'Stillknocks' by writing:
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“One is undefeated as a professional fighter and the other on the keyboard. You have guessed it, we are different.”
In a sharp comeback, Du Plessis fired back, responding:
“One is champion one isn’t guess who.”
Check out Dricus du Plessis’ response to a fan below:
![[screenshot courtesy: @dricusduplessis on x]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/cf5c1-17435216659424-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/cf5c1-17435216659424-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/cf5c1-17435216659424-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/cf5c1-17435216659424-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/cf5c1-17435216659424-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/cf5c1-17435216659424-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/cf5c1-17435216659424-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/cf5c1-17435216659424-1920.jpg 1920w)
Du Plessis is likely to defend his belt against Chimaev at some point this year. UFC CEO Dana White has confirmed that ‘Borz’ is next in line for the UFC gold.
Reinier de Ridder predicts Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Reinier de Ridder predicted that Khamzat Chimaev will likely go for takedowns early against Dricus du Plessis.
However, he emphasized that it won’t be an easy task for the Chechen-born fighter, highlighting Du Plessis' unorthodox style and suggesting that it could be a long night for ‘Borz':
"Yeah, so, I've had some experience with both of the guys, I've trained with both of them, and I'd say, especially in a five-round fight, Khamzat's most likely gonna come out guns blazing again, shoot right away. But Dricus is not that easy to take down. He moves very well, although it looks a bit funny sometimes. His footwork is not that bad, he gets out, he circles pretty well."
He continued:
"I don't see Khamzat taking him down right away, and to be honest, I don't see Khamzat choking him out in the first round. And then every round he doesn't choke him out, it's gonna get worse for him, because with that unorthodox style of Dricus and those heavy hands, I think it might be a long night for Khamzat."
Check out Reinier de Ridder’s comments below (11:26):