“He is in line,” said Dana White during the UFC 312 press-fight press conference, confirming that Khamzat Chimaev would soon get what he wanted. A title shot. Even the middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, seems content with the choice. But there is a new trend in the promotion, where almost every champion wants to dominate a second division. Think about Islam Makhachev, Belal Muhammad, Ilia Topuria; Now you can add DDP to that list as well.

Du Plessis versus Chimaev would be huge, but the champion, after dominating Sean Strickland at UFC 312, called out the light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira. At that time, ‘Poatan’ was just outside the octagon and had a hilarious reaction. He perceived the South African to be too small to compete against him. Amidst the chaos, UFC insider Chael Sonnen has come forward to push Du Plessis for a fight against Bo Nickal instead.

While having a conversation on Good Guy/Bad Guy, Daniel Cormier, and Chael Sonnen analyzed Dricus Du Plessis’s career. They emphasized that the South African fighter has yet to build his legacy. Sonnen stated:

 “All legacy is, is when you’re gone, how are you going to be remembered? It’s as simple as that. And how long your reign was is greatly relevant. If you get out when there are still guys on top, DDP for example, right now. If he retires from the sport, he is always going to be questioned for not taking on the undefeated number-one-ranked.

“With that in mind, with that piece of psychology in mind, I like the idea of DDP going after Bo Nickal now. Hear me out on that. Why Bo? Well, because he’s completely undefeated, he’s an up-and-comer, he’s the youngest guy, and he’s the most likely of that entire bunch to go on to be a future champion. He’s also three years of victories away from ever working his way into a number-one title shot,” said Sonnen.

But here’s the thing. What Sonnen suggested sounds like a difficult fight to make. After all, Nickal is currently ranked at #15 in the division. #1 Nassourdine Imavov and #3 Khamzat Chimaev wouldn’t silently watch him get a title shot when they are ranked much higher.

Further, ‘The American Gangster’ quipped that Du Plessis smartly calls out a fighter that he might never face. For example, his recent callout of Alex Pereira doesn’t even make sense because he already has his hands tied to Magomed Ankalaev. All of these are nothing but a risk-free move that generates headlines without real consequences. His next real challenge is Khamzat Chimaev, However, the Chechen fighter has his own issues in fighting on American soil.

This is where Bo Nickal enters the picture. Yes, his last fight cost him some fans. But, the UFC has a history of slingshotting prospects into the title picture. Sean O’Malley, Alex Pereira, and Umar Nurmagomedov are perfect examples from the last few years. If they decide to do that with Nickal, that’s bad news for Khamzat. The promotion does not have too many American champions at the moment, and Nickal is one of the American fighters showing championship promise, as Sonnen said.

Sonnen highlighted that it would be better for Dricus Du Plessis to fight Bo Nickal, as it would kill two birds with one stone:

1. No one would accuse him of avoiding potential threats.
2. The promotion might make that fight happen soon, considering that Nickal has no issues with it.

Well, ‘Stillknocks’ might disappear from the combat sports arena for a while now because he has successfully defended his title for the second time. Interestingly, Kamaru Usman believes that another middleweight also has the potential to defeat Du Plessis.

Kamaru Usman: Who could defeat Dricus Du Plessis?

While having a chit-chat with Henry Cejudo on the Pound-4-Pound podcast about two days ago, Kamaru Usman revealed that UFC Saudi Arabia star, Nassourdine Imavov has the potential to defeat Dricus Du Plessis if the champion doesn’t change his fighting style. “From what I saw yesterday [at UFC 312], there’s still a big question mark on potentially two guys that I think have a great shot at dethroning DDP,” said Usman.

He further added, “If he fought Nassourdine Imavov the way that he fought Sean Strickland… I don’t like that fight for DDP. […] We saw how [Imavov’s] standup was with Israel Adesanya; when you stand up with Nassourdine Imavov, he might be the sharper guy right besides Israel Adesanya right now.”

Riding a four-fight winning streak, the Dagestani-French fighter knocked out Israel Adesanya in their last battle at UFC Saudi Arabia. With hunger in his eyes, Imavov is focused on the middleweight gold. However, Du Plessis dismissed the idea of a title clash when asked about it. “It doesn’t matter what I think. We all know what’s gonna happen. Like what do you think makes more money; me and Khamzat or me and Imavov?” questioned ‘Stillknocks’ at a post-fight press conference.

Reacting to Du Plessis’s statement, Imavov took to his X handle to fire back at the South African: “That’s what the @ufc is all about, allow the best to become champ, no matter their fame, you’re a good example of that. You took advantage of it and now you’re closing the door. Khamzat is a superstar, he’ll sell against anyone. Him or me, your time’s coming @dricusduplessis.”

Well, despite all the commotion, Dana White will probably give Khamzat Chimaev a chance at the 185 lbs title ahead of Imavov. Given that, what are your thoughts on ‘Stillknocks’ next opponent?