Dricus du Plessis believes he can put forth a far better effort against Khamzat Chimaev in a rematch.
Chimaev turned in a dominant performance against du Plessis back in Aug. 2025. “Borz” had nearly 22 minutes of control time on his way to a unanimous decision and the UFC middleweight title. It was a wipeout and many questioned who can give Chimaev a run for his money at 185 pounds.
Du Plessis still believes he can be that fighter. Speaking on the “Fight Forecast,” du Plessis said he thinks he can goad Chimaev into fighting his fight in a rematch (via MMAJunkie).
“Fighting Khamzat again is what I’m after,” Du Plessis said. “Am I expecting any surprises? No. There’s not going to be any surprises. That is the way he’s going to fight, and if he tries anything different, it will be a terrible night, and we all know that. But he did what he had to do to win that belt.
“We can’t hate him for that. It’s the rules of the game and he did. So saying it’s not fair, it is fair. He did what he had to do. Not how I would win my belt or would like to, but that’s what he did. Now it’s my responsibility to go fix that to stop him from doing it again, and get him to fight my fight.”
Du Plessis is hoping to return in April. While the former UFC Middleweight Champion doesn’t have a fight booked, he is willing to face just about anyone UFC matchmakers present him with. Du Plessis may be hoping for another fight against Chimaev, but many agree that isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.
Chimaev has yet to compete since winning the middleweight gold from du Plessis.
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