"Pick your n*ts up and kill Belal Muhammad", "DDP is made of iron" - Fans react to Islam Makhachev's confident claim about beating Dricus du Plessis

Islam Makhachev has stirred fan debate with his bold claim of taking on Dricus du Plessis in a potential middleweight clash. Makhachev recently expressed confidence in his ability to defeat du Plessis despite a notable size disadvantage.

The lightweight champion believes his physicality and fight IQ could help him defeat the dominant middleweight titleholder. However, du Plessis dismissed the idea, claiming he's focused on his upcoming clash against Sean Strickland at UFC 312.

Du Plessis is set to defend his title against Strickland in Sydney, a rematch of their thrilling UFC 297 bout. Meanwhile, Makhachev, fresh off his UFC 311 win over Renato Moicano, is eyeing a historic leap to middleweight. Makhachev’s potential jump is fueled partly by his training partner, welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, making a lightweight-welterweight title pursuit unlikely.

Speaking about a potential fight with du Plessis in a recent interview with Ushatayka, Makhachev said:

“My height allows it. I think my physical [attributes] allow it too. I just need to work with my specialists, gain muscle mass, add a little weight. I think I can try. As I already said at the press conference after the fight, if they offered it to me tomorrow and said they will give me time, I would not turn it down. I would 100 percent agree to fight at middleweight. I’m not saying that I have a better chance, that I can 100 percent finish du Plessis, but watching his fights, watching his style, I think I have the keys to victory.”

Check out Islam Makhachev's comments below:

Several fans took to X to react to Makhachev's comments, writing:

"Pick your n*ts up and kill Belal [Muhammad]."

"He's 30 lbs heavier, you won't take him down... if you do he's getting up. DDP is made of iron so your punches being 30lbs lighter will do nothing, every time you get hit it will be something you never felt, you can exchange with him, distance DDP also has. You'd get literally KO'd bad."

"DDP is not as skilled but significantly larger. I’d pay to see it."

"Everyone thinks that about DDP and then they get in the octagon with him and are just completely overwhelmed by autism."

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Fans react to Islam Makhachev's comments that he can beat Dricus du Plessis. [Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on X]

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What did Dricus du Plessis say about Islam Makhachev's comments that he could beat the South African?

Dricus du Plessis acknowledged Islam Makhachev’s dominant performance against Renato Moicano during a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia, praising him as an incredible champion and fighter.

However, he dismissed Makhachev's comments about a potential victory in a middleweight bout, stating that his size and strength would be decisive factors. Du Plessis highlighted the difference between being a big lightweight and a big middleweight and said:

"Look, he trains with 185ers in his gym. But there is only one world champion. So kudos to him for saying what he did, but it doesn’t really matter because I’ll overpower him in any situation. I know he walks around heavy. But I walk around heavy. He’s a big lightweight, I’m a big middleweight. There’s a big difference there." [H/t: Fox Sports Australia]