Dricus Du Plessis reacts after MMA veteran Yoel Romero praises the South African's fight IQ

Dricus Du Plessis made his return to the octagon last month as he defeated Sean Strickland via unanimous decision at UFC 312 to defend his middleweight title for the second time. While many have questioned 'Stillknocks' fighting style, he has shown an ability to get the job done regardless of his opponent.

The middleweight champion recently earned praise from Yoel Romero. Speaking to Denis Shkuratov of Submission Radio, 'Soldier of God' expressed that he would have liked to face Du Plessis before adding:

"Du Plessis is a very intelilgent guy. I think the most danger for him is intelligence. He's a very intelligent. When he fights, he has a good strategy. The mentality for him is very good."

Du Plessis acknowledged the praise on his Instagram story, stating:

"Thank you for the kind words sir @yoelromeromma"

Check out Yoel Romero's comments on Dricus Du Plessis and the middleweight champion's response below (starting at the 11:45 mark):

Dricus Du Plessis' response to Yoel Romero

While Romero offered praise to the middleweight champion, he added that he is leaning towards Khamzat Chimaev if the pair clash. He noted that the latter has an advantage in wrestling, claiming that 'Borz' is at an Olympic level in that department. 'Soldier of God' believes that he would matchup favorably against the No.3-ranked middleweight if he returned to the UFC.

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Dricus Du Plessis reportedly in talks to face Khamzat Chimaev this summer

Khamzat Chimaev has been in the title picture for several years, however, he has yet to fight for a UFC belt despite remaining undefeated. That appears set to change this summer as recent reports suggest that he is in talks to challenge Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title.

UPFRONT MMA shared the news to X, tweeting:

"🚨BREAKING NEWS: The @ufc is targeting Dricus Du Plessis VS Khamzat Chimaev for THIS SUMMER! 🌞 The bout is rumored to be held in Perth, Australia on a card w/ Israel Adesanya VS ??? 🎯 [Source: Khamzat's coach Andreas Michael] LFG!!! Who is your pick??"

Check out the tweet from UPFRONT MMA below:

Chimaev appeared to be in line to fight for the welterweight title with a win at UFC 279, however, he missed weight by 7.5 pounds. The incident pushed him out of the title picture and forced his move to middleweight. 'Borz' most recently entered the octagon at UFC 308, defeating Robert Whittaker via first-round submission and cementing himself as one of the top contenders in the division.