UFC middleweight mainstay with wins over Sean Strickland and Anderson Silva weighs in on the Dricus du Plessis puzzle, says he can beat him

A UFC middleweight contender recently expressed confidence in his chances against Dricus du Plessis in a potential matchup. The individual also drew attention to the errors made by other fighters against du Plessis.

The person in question is former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier, who recently gave his take on du Plessis' victory at UFC 312. In a recent interview with Submission Radio, 'The Killa Gorilla' said he's confident in his ability to defeat the reigning champion:

''I feel like I can beat anybody you know. So yes I definitely see a pathway, ways that I can Implement as long as I can hit them I can hurt them.''

Cannonier added:

''I'm sure it's easy to sit on the sideline and say, well they're not doing this or they're doing but it's martial arts man, it can go so many different ways and there's so many different factors to consider but I believe in my ability to be able to get in there and win.''

Check out Jared Cannonier's comments below (0:57):

Cannonier (17-8) is a veteran of the sport with notable wins against Anderson Silva and Sean Strickland at UFC 237 and UFC Vegas 66 respectively. The 40-year-old previously received an opportunity to capture the 185-pound belt from the then-champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 276.

However, he suffered a unanimous decision loss. The American will return to the octagon against rising contender Gregory Rodrigues this weekend in the main event of UFC Vegas 102.

Meanwhile, du Plessis made his second title defense in a rematch against Strickland at UFC 312, defeating 'Tarzan' via unanimous decision. Following his win, the South African called out Alex Pereira, who was in Strickland's corner during the fight.

However, according to multiple reports, undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev is expected to challenge du Plessis next.

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Dricus du Plessis reacts to Din Thomas praising him

UFC analyst Din Thomas expressed admiration for Dricus du Plessis following the South African's win against Sean Strickland at UFC 312. During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Thomas said:

"There's no champion in the UFC that's got the total package like [Dricus du Plessis]. I mean this guy just oozes championship in him."

In response to Thomas' compliments, du Plessis appreciated him in his Instagram story, writing:

''The man knows''

Screenshot of Dricus du Plessis' Instagram story

Notably, during the post-fight show following UFC 312, Thomas chastised Strickland for his disappointing performance against du Plessis, mocking him for his lofty boasts leading up to the title fight.