Ahead of UFC 319 in August, Dricus du Plessis was billed as the man who could finally hand Khamzat Chimaev his first career defeat. However, what followed turned into a complete nightmare for ‘Stillknocks,’ as he suffered the worst loss of his career. ‘Borz’ maintained his boogeyman status and captured championship gold with a lopsided 50-44 unanimous decision victory at the United Center in Chicago.

As crushing as the loss was, the South African former champ took it on the chin and promised to come back stronger. “Make no mistake, I’m not a good loser, because a good loser becomes a frequent one. I am, however, an avid learner of the arts and of life itself,” Du Plessis shared on Instagram, revealing that he’s ready to make the necessary changes and walk through the fire to better himself. It seems he is already en route to face Khamzat Chimaev once again in the future. 

Dricus du Plessis with a cheeky reminder of the Khamzat Chimaev fight

Dricus Du Plessis uploaded a training photo with his teammate on Instagram and wrote, “Why does this look so familiar..?” In the image, du Plessis was on his knee pressed against the wall and covering up the exposed side of his head, with his training partner on his back, trying to land shots. A scene straight out of the cage in the UFC 319 main event.

In the championship bout, Chimaev landed 12 of 17 takedowns, completely dismantled Du Plessis’s defense, and held 21 minutes and 40 seconds of control time. But that’s not all.

In the process, ‘Borz’ also shattered Max Holloway’s record of 447 significant strikes, landing an astounding 529, mostly from a dominant back position. So, ‘DDP’ replicated that exact scenario in training, with his partner landing strikes as he works to escape. It’s clearly a mindful attempt to fix the flaws that cost him the fight.

Interestingly, the South African’s coach had already hinted at big changes right after UFC 319. Speaking to Submission Radio, Morne Visser said, “His mindset is just, ‘We’re getting back.’ He’s gonna take a week off, and we’ve got big plans. I started last night and this morning with our next big move, our plans to change and fix the problem.” It seems the DDP camp is already back to work, with a potential rematch in sight. However, there’s a catch. 

After two successful title defenses against Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis might have expected an immediate rematch. Still, there’s a growing possibility that he’ll need to face another contender before earning another shot at the champion, especially after how one-sided their fight was. And that opponent could very well be none other than Brendan Allen.  

‘DDP’ might face Brendan Allen next   

Although Dricus du Plessis and his team are grinding hard to correct their mistakes and prepare for another showdown with Khamzat Chimaev, the UFC might have other plans in mind. There’s a real chance Du Plessis could be matched up against Brendan Allen next — and there are good reasons for it.

‘All In’ recently put on a dominant performance against surging contender Reinier de Ridder at UFC Vancouver, stepping in as a late replacement for Anthony Hernandez, who withdrew due to injury. Following that win, Allen delivered a fiery post-fight callout — aimed directly at Du Plessis, Adesanya, and Strickland.

The South Carolina native and the South African former champ have been at each other’s throats for quite some time, trading shots on social media. Most notably, Du Plessis called Allen a loser after his defeat to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night Paris. Now, with momentum on his side, Allen believes he can take out ‘DDP, ’ and he’s not holding back.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Allen said, “It’s easy to say when I’m losing, when you know you’re not going to fight me next. But now, it could happen. When I was super close on a big win streak and it was a possibility, he was quiet like a mouse in church.”

If ‘All In’ calling Du Plessis a quiet mouse is enough to stir the pot, it might just push ‘DDP’ and his camp to settle the score before turning their attention back to Chimaev, who’s likely facing Imavov next as the Paramount era approaches. The UFC could also book Allen vs. Du Plessis as a high-stakes title eliminator.

That said, as Dricus du Plessis begins his journey toward a comeback, the question remains: Will he face his nightmare Khamzat Chimaev next, or test himself against Brendan Allen first? Let us know what you think in the comments below.