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Dricus du Plessis, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, recently gave his take on former champion Robert Whittaker's quick defeat to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308. Chimaev submitted 'The Reaper' in the first round in dominant fashion, earning a Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts.
In a recent interview on ESPN MMA, when asked about ‘Borz’, du Plessis labeled the Chechen fighter a "bully" for his constant pressure and eagerness to get an early takedown.
“He's a bully fighter, like a lot of guys are. He's a guy that, you know, we saw that was still him before he fought me. He's a guy that goes forward and gains momentum… With a guy like him, constantly being afraid of that takedown, I think gets a lot of people backing up. What I see with him is that when he shoots in, he's not necessarily going for the legs or a perfect double. He gets in and just wants to grab hold of you.”
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Adding that Chimaev's style forces his opponents into a defensive mindset, 'Stillknocks' had this to say about Whittaker's performance at UFC 308:
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“If you're defending or have a defensive mindset, he just grabs hold and starts to wear you down. So, I think that might have been a mistake Whittaker made.”
Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (3:30):
Dricus du Plessis wants Khamzat Chimaev as his next opponent, sends a message to Sean Strickland
Dricus du Plessis won the belt earlier this year, defeating Sean Strickland at UFC 297 via a controversial split decision. He then successfully defended the title against Israel Adesanya in August at UFC 305, winning by submission in the fourth round.
Strickland has been campaigning for a rematch with du Plessis throughout 2024, and UFC CEO Dana White has stated that the American is next in line for the belt. However, after Chimaev's impressive performance against Robert Whittaker, the South African champion expressed his desire to take on the unbeaten Chechen instead.
In a recent interview, du Plessis was asked to send a message to Strickland after seemingly shifting his focus to Chimaev. Touching on 'Tarzan's' poor finishing rate in the UFC, 'Stillknocks' said:
"Finish your fights."
Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (7:28):
