Khamzat Chimaev: "Dricus kills Chimaev" - Fans react as Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev International Fight Week rumors take hold

"Dricus kills Chimaev" - Fans react as Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev International Fight Week rumors take hold

Modified Apr 05, 2025 12:19 GMT

Fans react to potential Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight news [Images courtesy of Getty Images] — Fans react to potential Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight news [Images courtesy: Getty Images]

MMA fans have been reacting to the latest rumor in the middleweight division, which appears to suggest Dricus du Plessis is set to defend the 185-pound title against Khamzat Chimaev.

While nothing has yet been confirmed by the UFC, 'Borz' is believed to be the No.1 contender to the middleweight title, following his dominant first-round submission victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 last year.

For 'Stillknocks', he most recently defended his title for the second time against Sean Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312 in February. The South African put on a striking clinic as he dominated the fight, eventually getting his hand raised via unanimous decision.

Now it appears the two middleweight stars will collide later this year, following a report by MMA fan Rueben Carter. According to Carter, who has previously been featured breaking news on CBS Sports, du Plessis vs. Chimaev is officially signed for UFC 317. He tweeted:

Fans have been reacting to the potential news, with one fan claiming Dricus du Plessis would dominate Khamzat Chimaev. They wrote:

Dricus du Plessis criticizes middleweight contenders

Dricus du Plessis appears to be brimming with confidence over defending his middleweight title once again.

Recently, 'Stillknocks' was engaging with a fan on social media, who put forward a number of opponents for the South African to fight next. Michael 'Venom' Page, Nassourdine Imavov and Shara Magomedov were all mentioned as potential contenders, however, du Plessis doesn't believe any of them would be a challenge.

While current rumors suggest Khamzat Chimaev will be next, both Imavov and 'MVP' have a case for a title bout. The British fighter recently put a stop to 'Shara Bullet's' hype-train with a dominant performance, whereas Imavov picked up the biggest win of his career when he finished Israel Adesanya back in February.

About the author

Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

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