Dricus Du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev is on and very much happening this year only. While the UFC is yet to announce a date for the much-anticipated fight, Chimaev seems more than ready to take down ‘Stillknocks.’ Just a day ago, when asked about his preparation against DDP—whose camp is focused on preparing a ground war—Broz did not hold back and said, “let them prep for war. I’m prepping for mu*rder.” 

Well, this matchup was long-awaited after ‘Borz’ went to war against Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. And let’s be honest, Dricus may be a veteran against Broz, but Chimaev’s undefeated record is too good to be ignored. Knowing this, Chael Sonnen also backed the Russian earlier this year, after he questioned Du Plessis’ ability to defend the takedowns that Chimaev would undoubtedly use in their fight.

“Is he [Du Plessis] good enough to defend the takedowns of Chimaev? Let’s go further with it. Is he good enough to take Chimaev down?” Chael Sonnen asked in February this year. It was a valid question considering DDP most recently fought Sean Strickland (twice), Israel Adesanya, and Robert Whittaker—all known for their striking abilities. When the middleweight champion faces Chimaev, the latter’s wrestling could give him an edge.

This could be the case despite DDP himself winning 11 out of 23 MMA wins through submissions. But don’t expect the middleweight champ to have it easy when he meets “Borz” later this year, because Khamzat has just joined forces with Darren Till once again. Still, for some reason, Uncle Chael has changed his thoughts now. Perhaps, he finally sees what ‘Stillknocks’ brings to the table.

In his recent YouTube video, Sonnen has explained that he might have been wrong all of this time. “It’s very interesting how things have shifted and changed for Dricus. And I will share with you—if you asked me about that fight two years ago, or a year ago, or even six months ago—I would have quickly dismissed it and told you Chimaev. I would tell you Chimaev every single round.”

Khamzat Chimaev is arguably the best wrestler in the middleweight division, with accolades that could even put professional wrestlers to shame. His first-round submission victory over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was the cherry on top of his UFC resume. However, despite all of these records, dealing with Dricus Du Plessis is a different kind of challenge.

“But I don’t feel that way anymore. I feel, and I’m seeing what other people are feeling and seeing now. If that fight approaches, we’ll do an actual breakdown and make a prediction and that’s not what I’m doing right now. But I will tell you that the greatness of Dricus while being a slow drip, it is something that is now not only witnessed but recognized by the industry. And he did it in a very short period of time. And if you really want to be a student of the game, the Dricus Du Plessis story is a very important one to study,” Sonnen ended, and he is correct in his assessment.

Du Plessis’ first fight under the promotion happened at UFC Fight Night 179 – Moraes vs. Sandhagen, back in October 2020. After six UFC fights, he was given the title fight against Strickland at UFC 297 and made sure he would walk away as the champion. So his rise to stardom was quick, but how long he can stay at the top will be interesting to witness. The South African is 31 years old, so it looks like he has time on his side as well.

“I’m not in a rush for my next fight to be Alex Pereira. No—I want Khamzat next. I think he deserves a hiding,” said Dricus Du Plessis after successfully defending his title for the second time against Sean Strickland. The South African remains undefeated in the UFC, while Khamzat Chimaev has yet to taste defeat in his MMA career. Their potential clash promises to be nothing short of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.

Their clash is yet to be announced, but one thing is certain—it will happen this year. The question remains: Does Du Plessis have a game plan to hand Chimaev his first career loss?

Dricus Du Plessis laid out a plan to defeat Khamzat Chimaev!

After his UFC 312 endeavor against Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis was asked about his game plan against Khamzat Chimaev, to which the middleweight champion stated in February, “Counter the jab? Oh no, that was Strickland’s game plan. Let me think… the blitz? Nah, that was Rob. Yeah, I’ll just out-wrestle him—that’s the game plan.” 

Dricus Du Plessis is a fighter who’s incredibly difficult to predict. Just when you think he’s gassed out, he seems to strap on a tank of nitrous oxide and come at you with full force. Most of his highlights feature him throwing seemingly random shots at his opponents—a chaotic style that, arguably, has worked in his favor.

Du Plessis outstruck Sean Strickland, submitted Israel Adesanya, and knocked out Whittaker. Other than him, no one else would even think of defeating these fighters at their own strengths.

Interestingly, Robert Whittaker, who has fought both Du Plessis and Chimaev, acknowledged that Borz’s wrestling was difficult to get past. “Stopping that first takedown is so crazy. The way he [Chimaev] shoots that first shot is insane. How do you stop that dude? Jump over him?” Whittaker asked on his podcast. However, the Aussie did emphasize that the sheer size of the South African might be a big problem for the Chechen.

‘The fight of the equals’ should be the name of this middleweight battle—but when will they clash? The date is yet to be confirmed, but one thing is certain: It’s going to be absolute fire. Given that, what are your thoughts on their battle? State your opinion in the comments below.