The former UFC Middleweight Champion is itching for a return, and he has a very specific, and perhaps controversial, opponent in mind!
Dricus du Plessis, the recently dethroned UFC Middleweight Champion, is gearing up for his comeback and has his sights set on a return to the Octagon in April at UFC 327 in Miami. This would be his first fight since he lost his title via unanimous decision at UFC 319 last summer in Chicago.
But here's where it gets interesting: Du Plessis's absolute top choice for his return bout is a five-round rematch against Khamzat Chimaev. He's been diligently working on addressing the areas where he fell short in their previous encounter.
"We need to fix some things, obviously, and I spent time now doing that," Du Plessis shared with Fight Forecast. "But like I said, I’ll be ready for April. I would love to be on that April card, the Miami card. There’s no opponent yet, but I’m ready to go again and get my belt back. I’d of course love it to be Khamzat and redeem that loss but for me right now, the next fight is the most important fight of my life."
This timeline aligns perfectly with his previous statements about needing 16 weeks to refine his skills, particularly his wrestling defense.
He continued, "Fighting Khamzat again is of course what I’m after, am I expecting any surprises, no. There’s not going to be any surprises, that’s the way he’s gonna fight and if he tries anything different it will be a terrible night (for him). He did what he had to do to win the belt, and we can’t hate on him for that. Now it’s my responsibility to go and fix that, to stop him from doing that again and getting him to fight my fight."
And this is the part most people miss: While Du Plessis is eager for a rematch, the UFC might have other plans for Chimaev, potentially for a high-profile event like 'UFC White House'.
UFC 327 is still in the process of solidifying its main event, but several exciting matchups are already confirmed. These include a light heavyweight clash between Dominick Reyes and Johnny Walker, and a 205-pound bout featuring Paulo Costa against Azamat Murzakanov.
With UFC 327 less than two months away, we can expect an official announcement regarding Du Plessis's next fight very soon.
Now, over to you! Do you think Du Plessis is right to focus solely on a rematch with Chimaev, or should he consider other contenders to get back his belt? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
