Dricus du Plessis retained his middleweight title with a convincing unanimous decision victory against Sean Strickland at UFC 312. It was an exciting fight that was full of action; however, not everyone was impressed—especially Khamzat Chimaev. As the South African champion extended his reign at 185 pounds, Chimaev wasted little time in making his thoughts known on social media, as ‘Borz’ expressed both boredom and also sent a clear warning to the division kingpin.

During the contest, ‘Borz’ took to X and tweeted, “Biggest bullsh-t is this fight 🥱🥱🥱,” suggesting that he felt the championship bout was as lackluster as it could get. Throughout the five-round fight, du Plessis broke down ‘Tarzan,’ including a vicious combination in the fourth round that cracked the American fighter’s nose. Despite the decisive victory, Khamzat Chimaev was unimpressed, believing that the fight lacked the action required in a title bout.

Chimaev then posted a picture of himself smiling with the caption “@dricusduplessis 😈,” after ‘Stillknocks’ had won the fight. This was a direct message to the champion, as the Chechnyan now wants his title shot. However, Du Plessis had other plans in mind. In a surprising post-fight callout, he focused his attention away from Chimaev and toward UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who was cornering Strickland at UFC 312.

Du Plessis shouted on the mic, “Is there no one else?” “Is there no one else?” while staring at the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion. With Chimaev all geared up to be the next in line and Du Plessis openly pursuing Pereira, the UFC now faces quite a confusing situation. Will Du Plessis defend his title against Chimaev as planned by the Russian, or will the UFC stage a thrilling champion-versus-champion showdown with Pereira? In any case, the middleweight division has become really interesting. But how did Alex Pereira enter the picture?

Why Dricus Du Plessis wants to skip Khamzat Chimaev for ‘Poatan’

Dricus du Plessis’ rise among middleweights came when Alex Pereira had already left the category and was moving into light heavyweight. The success of the South African, however, seems to have attracted ‘Poatan’, who has already publicly stated that he is interested in returning to 185 lbs to dethrone the current champion and was even in the corner of Sean Strickland. However, even his support couldn’t stop ‘Stillknocks’ from dominating ‘Tarzan’ to retain the title.

Aware of the status that ‘Poatan’ has achieved in the UFC, Du Plessis took advantage of the opportunity and stressed that he would accept to face the São Paulo native, but in Pereira’s weight class. Why? Because he has his sights set on a second title in the company while keeping Khamzat Chimaev hanging. Now, that might turn out to be true as he called out the Brazilian after the fight.

Even after hearing from Sean Strickland that Pereira hates him, and the South African downplaying any kind of feud with ‘Poatan,’ it seems like there is some tension between the two that fans would love to see turn into a fight inside the Octagon. ‘DDP’ has time and again reinforced his desire to share the Octagon with Pereira in the future, but this might foil the plans of Khamzat Chimaev. What do you think? Who will Dricus Du Plessis fight next? Will it be Khamzat Chimaev or Alex Pereira? Let us know in the comments.