Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis is open to a champ vs champ showdown with Islam Makhachev, but the lightweight champ is still sceptical about this fight.
Makhachev recently defeated Renato Moicano for his fourth title defence at UFC 311. The fighter revealed he would like to move up the division to battle the champs, but he is uncertain about it as he would have to face partner and friend, current welterweight champion Belal Muhammad. The Dagestani has decided he will move up two weight classes to challenge du Plessis in the middleweight division. “Stillknocks” spoke about Makhachev’s bold claims, but he feels the fighter may be aiming too high and might not have what it takes to take on a 185-pound powerhouse. Du Plessis believe he will teach Makahchev a lesson if he ever makes it to the middleweight division.
“It’s hard to really think and take it seriously right now,” du Plessis told Main Event. “I’ve got a big fight coming up, so I didn’t make anything of it. If we get to a situation where we are not at right now — he’s an incredible fighter, make no mistake. He was so incredibly good against Moicano. He proved once again why he is the pound-for-pound best in the world.
“[But] I don’t care how good you are — He obviously trains with 185ers, he doesn’t train against me,” du Plessis said. “Believe me, it’s not the same thing. Even on a technical level, I can just stand up. His wrestling and grappling is phenomenal. I’ll just overpower him. That’s what I think. It makes a massive difference. He’s a big lightweight, but I’m a big middleweight. There’s a big difference between a big lightweight and a big middleweight, but if there’s ever the situation where there’s no fight for me, no fight for him that makes sense, I’ll be more than happy to do that. Easy payday.”
The resume that du Plessis has been putting together has MMA fans in awe. He’s beaten the likes of Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, and Sean Strickland. For now, du Plessis has other opponents to face as he is set for a rematch battle with former champion Sean Strickland at the UFC 312. After this, he is set to face Khamzat Chimaev. His opponent, Makhachev, has only suffered one loss in his career, while du Plessis is yet to suffer defeat.
