_Wavebreakmedia_Ltd_FUS1507-1_Alamy.jpg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale#)
‘Let’s take a look’ – Dricus Du Plessis fires back at Khamzat Chimaev after UFC title fight delay
Dricus Du Plessis isn’t having any of Khamzat Chimaev’s criticism ahead of their potential UFC title clash. Du Plessis is the UFC middleweight champion and is expected to defend his belt against the undefeated Chimaev next. Du Plessis is the best middleweight in the UFC right nowGetty However, reports emerged last week suggesting that the South African is dealing with an injury, meaning Chimaev will have to wait for his first shot at UFC gold. Chimaev, 30, unsurprisingly, didn’t take kindly to the news of Du Plessis’ injury. “This guy biggest bulls***,” ‘Borz’ wrote via X on Sunday, igniting a storm in the MMA community. Du Plessis, 31, has now responded to Chimaev’s words, while also clearing up a few doubts surrounding the situation. “Let’s take a look at the last +-2.5 years and tell me who’s bulls***,” he captioned two images comparing his record to Chimaev’s on X. Since submitting Darren Till in December 2022, ‘Stillknocks’ has won five UFC bouts, including a split decision win over Sean Strickland in January 2024 to claim the 185-pound title. He has since defended the strap against Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312, which came after he defeated former champion Israel Adesanya. Chimaev, on the other hand, has fought just three times since September 2022, defeating Kevin Holland, Kamaru Usman, and Robert Whittaker en route to his status as No. 3 in the UFC middleweight rankings. However, Du Plessis’ image also highlighted three cancelled bouts for Chimaev, including fights against Nate Diaz, Paulo Costa and Whittaker, with the Diaz clash scrapped as Chimaev weighed in above his contracted limit. One fan responded to Du Plessis, referencing his own injury and pullout from the Chimaev fight, writing: “Nice try at a comeback, but you spoke too soon when making fun of his pullouts earlier. Has karma had its way with you?” Chimaev poked fun at Du Plessis after news of his injury emergedGetty Du Plessis replied: “Question is was the fight even signed?” effectively admitting that he never officially agreed to fight Chimaev, although the title bout is still expected to take place. After news emerged of Du Plessis’ injury, No. 6 ranked middleweight Caio Borralho threw his name into the mix for an interim title bout with Chimaev. “Khamat said yes!” Borralho wrote on X, declaring ‘Borz’ had agreed to fight him after going back and forth with him. “The only thing that makes sense is the interim belt. This fight is gonna be bigger than him vs Dricus. Mark my words.” ‘The Natural’ is undefeated in the UFC having emerged through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021. He is part of the iconic Brazilian MMA gym The Fighting Nerds, alongside names like Jean Silva and Mauricio Ruffy. Borralho has said he will fight Chimaev for interim status in the middleweight divisionGetty View Tweet: https://t.co/Mo0KMWC8eT Chimaev has since ruthlessly responded to Borralho, saying: “If we fight one hundred times, you will never win. If somebody knows you know that bro.” He also shared a photo on Instagram of him submitting Borralho when used to they training together. Chimaev has dealt with a fair share of his own setbacks in the past. Last June, the 30-year-old withdraw from a title eliminator bout with Whittaker as UFC CEO White revealed he was ‘violently ill’ before replacing him with Ikram Aliskerov. Chimaev was also booked to face Leon Edwards in a welterweight bout in December 2020, but that fight failed to materialise due to COVID-19 complications affecting both fighters.
Dricus Du Plessis isn’t having any of Khamzat Chimaev’s criticism ahead of their potential UFC title clash.
Du Plessis is the UFC middleweight champion and is expected to defend his belt against the undefeated Chimaev next.
However, reports emerged last week suggesting that the South African is dealing with an injury, meaning Chimaev will have to wait for his first shot at UFC gold.
Chimaev, 30, unsurprisingly, didn’t take kindly to the news of Du Plessis’ injury.
“This guy biggest bulls***,” ‘Borz’ wrote via X on Sunday, igniting a storm in the MMA community.
Du Plessis, 31, has now responded to Chimaev’s words, while also clearing up a few doubts surrounding the situation.
“Let’s take a look at the last +-2.5 years and tell me who’s bulls***,” he captioned two images comparing his record to Chimaev’s on X.
Since submitting Darren Till in December 2022, ‘Stillknocks’ has won five UFC bouts, including a split decision win over Sean Strickland in January 2024 to claim the 185-pound title.
He has since defended the strap against Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312, which came after he defeated former champion Israel Adesanya.
Chimaev, on the other hand, has fought just three times since September 2022, defeating Kevin Holland, Kamaru Usman, and Robert Whittaker en route to his status as No. 3 in the UFC middleweight rankings.
However, Du Plessis’ image also highlighted three cancelled bouts for Chimaev, including fights against Nate Diaz, Paulo Costa and Whittaker, with the Diaz clash scrapped as Chimaev weighed in above his contracted limit.
One fan responded to Du Plessis, referencing his own injury and pullout from the Chimaev fight, writing: “Nice try at a comeback, but you spoke too soon when making fun of his pullouts earlier. Has karma had its way with you?”
Du Plessis replied: “Question is was the fight even signed?” effectively admitting that he never officially agreed to fight Chimaev, although the title bout is still expected to take place.
After news emerged of Du Plessis’ injury, No. 6 ranked middleweight Caio Borralho threw his name into the mix for an interim title bout with Chimaev.
“Khamat said yes!” Borralho wrote on X, declaring ‘Borz’ had agreed to fight him after going back and forth with him.
“The only thing that makes sense is the interim belt. This fight is gonna be bigger than him vs Dricus. Mark my words.”
‘The Natural’ is undefeated in the UFC having emerged through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021.
He is part of the iconic Brazilian MMA gym The Fighting Nerds, alongside names like Jean Silva and Mauricio Ruffy.
Chimaev has since ruthlessly responded to Borralho, saying: “If we fight one hundred times, you will never win. If somebody knows you know that bro.”
He also shared a photo on Instagram of him submitting Borralho when used to they training together.
Chimaev has dealt with a fair share of his own setbacks in the past.
Last June, the 30-year-old withdraw from a title eliminator bout with Whittaker as UFC CEO White revealed he was ‘violently ill’ before replacing him with Ikram Aliskerov.
Chimaev was also booked to face Leon Edwards in a welterweight bout in December 2020, but that fight failed to materialise due to COVID-19 complications affecting both fighters.
