Dricus du Plessis isn’t buying Khamzat Chimaev’s push for an immediate title rematch with new UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
Speaking ahead of his main event clash with Kamaru Usman at UFC Oklahoma City this Saturday, the former champion dismissed the notion that Chimaev should run it back with Strickland right away after losing their UFC 328 title fight by decision.
“I defended my title twice against Strickland once and against [Israel] Adesanya. The Khamzat rematch is ridiculous, it doesn’t make any sense. If they do it, I mean, it’s ridiculous. It would be crazy. Let them do what they need to do. I’ll just fight my way back. After my performance, let my performance speak,” du Plessis said.
Du Plessis, who was previously 9-0 in the UFC with wins over Strickland, Adesanya, and Robert Whittaker before dropping his belt to Chimaev by decision less than a year ago, acknowledged his current position in the division.
“That’s the thing, right now I don’t have anything to say. I can’t really say anything because I got beaten in my last fight. You can’t really say too much. … I’ll do my talking then and I’ll prove once again why I’m the best in the world.”
The South African also addressed his delayed return, noting he was “supposed to come back in April” before an injury setback, and added, “the injury was a bit more serious than we originally thought, so it took a little while. But I mean, I’ve been training, I’ve been ready.”
