Dricus Du
Plessis (21-2) says Robert
Whittaker (25-7) doesn’t deserve an immediate title shot even
with a potential win over Khamzat
Chimaev (13-0).
Whittaker will headline UFC Saudi Arabia against Chimaev on June 22
at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. This is the second top-tier matchup in
the middleweight division in a single month, after Sean
Strickland’s split decision win over Paulo Costa
at UFC 302 on June 1.
Clearing some of the confusion in the middleweight title picture,
du Plessis expressed interest in fighting Chimaev if he defeats
Whittaker. However, for “Stillknocks” the same doesn’t apply to
Whittaker if he beats Chimaev. The South African would like
Whittaker to face Strickland in a title eliminator to earn another
shot at the crown. But at the end of the day, Du Plessis being the
champion is willing to face whoever the UFC puts him up
against.
“Obviously, I have the world’s respect for Whittaker, I think he’s
one of the greatest athletes ever,” Du Plessis said in an interview with Fight Wave. “And for
Khamzat, [he’s an] exciting prospect in the middleweight division
because he hasn’t been beaten. So, should he beat Whittaker, I
would love to fight Khamzat. And in my opinion, should Whittaker
beat Khamzat, I don’t think it warrants him a title shot. Honestly,
[I] would love to see him and Strickland fight it out for a No. 1
contender fight. But if not, I was willing to fight Strickland,
Adesanya, Khamzat. I’m the champion, I need to fight who they give
me.”
Du Plessis defeated Whittaker via second-round TKO in their initial
encounter at UFC 290 in July 2023 to earn a middleweight title shot
against then champion Israel
Adesanya. However, du Plessis delayed his first title shot due
to a foot injury, paving the way for Strickland to dethrone
Israel
Adesanya via a dominant decision at UFC 293 in one of the
biggest upsets in UFC title fight history. Du Plessis finally made
his gold bid against Strickland at UFC 298 this past February,
reeling in a razor-thin split decision. The South African was
offered a slot to defend his title at UFC 300 against Israel
Adesanya, but turned it down due to the short turnaround.