Dricus du Plessis makes opinion clear on potential Khamzat Chimaev fight, wants "a double title fight" with a win over 'Borz'

Dricus du Plessis recently reaffirmed his intention to defend his title against Khamzat Chimaev in his next bout. The reigning UFC middleweight champion had initially set his sights on a rematch with Sean Strickland for his second title defense.

However, following Chimaev's first-round victory over Robert Whittaker in the co-main event of UFC 308 last weekend, du Plessis now has his sights firmly set on facing 'Borz'.

During a recent interview with ESPN MMA, du Plessis expressed that, having already defeated top 185-pounders like Strickland, Whittaker, and Israel Adesanya, a potential win over Chimaev could pave the way for him to contend for the UFC light heavyweight title, with hopes of fighting in his homeland of South Africa:

"If I beat Khamzat Chimaev – I beat Robert Whittaker, then I beat Sean Strickland, then I beat Israel Adesanya, then I beat Khamzat Chimaev, that warrants a double title fight. And I think that might just be it. I have a vision, and I can’t picture something more perfect than that. But to be completely honest, I do not care who it is."

He added:

"South Africa would go crazy no matter who I fight… At the end of the day, there’s a goal that needs to be reached, and that is fighting in my home country and getting that second belt. To do those on the same night would be pretty sweet."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (17:34):

'Stillknocks' captured the middleweight title by defeating Strickland at UFC 297 in January, then went on to successfully defend it with a fourth-round submission victory over Adesanya at UFC 305 in August.

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When Dricus du Plessis shut down Khamzat Chimaev’s title shot claims after UFC Saudi Arabia withdrawal

Khamzat Chimaev was initially set to headline UFC Saudi Arabia against Robert Whittaker in June, a bout widely seen as a potential No. 1 contender clash. However, just a week before the event, he pulled out owing to health issues.

During an interview with Submission Radio in July, Dricus du Plessis expressed his frustration that Chimaev's fight did not come to fruition. 'Stillknocks' further highlighted that the undefeated Chechen fighter has yet to face any ranked middleweight contenders, rendering his candidacy for a title shot irrelevant at this point:

"Right now, it just doesn’t even make sense to talk about it. He hasn’t fought one single ranked middleweight, not one, and to even put him in that conversation right now seems like we’re wasting time talking about it. He’s not in the run, and up until he proves that he deserves to be in that run, there’s no use in talking about it."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (9:35):