The route to UFC 294 has had its share of twists and turns. First, the main event of the night, Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira was canceled, as Oliveira opted out due to an injury. However, Alexander Volkanovski saved the day by entering as a last-minute replacement. Next, the UFC 294 co-main event between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa was scrapped.

Even after this unfortunate event, UFC CEO Dana White was able to rescue UFC 294. Soon, he announced a fight between Chimaev and the former UFC champ Kamaru Usman. Moreover, White also announced that the winner of this fight will be getting a middleweight title shot next. However, this update did not settle well with some fans, as there is already one man waiting for a title shot – Dricus Du Plessis.

The tough journey of Dricus Du Plessis towards title contention

Du Plessis entered the UFC back in 2020. Prior to that, he was a well-known MMA fighter with an impressive record of 14 wins and 2 losses. Moreover, he had also won welterweight and middleweight championships in KSW (Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki) and EFC (Extreme Fighting Championship) respectively.

In his first UFC fight, Du Plessis defeated Markus Perez via a first-round TKO. Next, he went on to win four more fights to cement his position as a top UFC fighter. Soon, his public remarks about Israel Adesanya triggered a rift between the two. Being in the limelight due to his impressive performances and a beef with the champ, Du Plessis finally got his big chance!

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“Izzy Is a Sniper”- Dricus Du Plessis Warned About “Technician” Israel Adesanya’s Gameplan After Controversial Face-off Leading To Potential Title Fight

At UFC 290, he faced Robert Whittaker in a title elimination match. In an unexpected display of grit and determination, ‘Stillknocks’ was able to defeat his opponent via TKO. The victory ensured Du Plessis a title fight against Adesanya. The UFC had planned this fight for UFC 293, but the African fighter declined the fight because of recovery issues. Later, Sean Strickland replaced him at UFC 293 and shocked the world by defeating Adesanya.

Dana White unsure of giving Dricus Du Plessis a title shot?

UFC CEO Dana White has never been the one to shy away from expressing his candid opinions. The 54-year-old openly praises and criticizes fighters without a bit of hesitation. Just before Adesanya vs. Strickland at UFC 293, the promotion’s head was asked about whether Du Plessis would get another chance to fight for the title.

White’s response, however, was something that the fans were not expecting. “You know how much I love when guys turn down fights,” he said, taking a jibe at Du Plessis. Moreover, he went on to express pure uncertainty about the Hatfield-born.

“I don’t know. We’ll see what happens on Saturday and then we’ll go from there,” he said. Months later, White has now announced the winner of Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman as the next title challenger. Apparently, that means ‘Stillknocks’ is out of the UFC middleweight title picture for now.

Is Khamzat Chimaev/Kamaru Usman worthy of a title shot?

Fans have had mixed feelings about this recent update. Although the opinions are polarizing, many fans do not believe that Chimaev or Usman deserve a title shot. ‘Borz’ has been inactive in the UFC for more than a year now. Moreover, he has only fought twice in the promotion’s middleweight division.

On the other hand, Kamaru Usman has never entered the UFC middleweight division. Further, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has suffered two back-to-back losses in his last two fights. In such a scenario, the MMA world is doubtful whether any of these two fighters should get a title shot or not. Also, looking at Du Plessis’ track record and journey, he surely seems like a more deserving candidate than the rest.

Dricus Du Plessis reacts after being snubbed by UFC and Dana White

Recently, Du Plessis took to Instagram to showcase his frustration with White’s announcement about the middleweight title contention. Recently, a fan shared a post about the shocking turn of events for UFC 294 on his Instagram story. Moreover, he tagged the UFC star Dricus Du Plessis.

Along with it, the fan displayed his disappointment with ‘Stillknocks’ not being the next title challenger. “2 unranked 185 lbs – winner fights for da title. @dricusduplessis da disrespect brother,” the fan wrote. Soon, the 29-year-old shared this story on his own Instagram account. Apparently, this move made the fans believe that Du Plessis has similar opinions about what is happening recently.

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Now, with UFC 294 around the corner, fans are waiting to see who becomes the next UFC middleweight title challenger. However, the MMA world still awaits to find out what’s next for Dricus Du Plessis. A fight against Israel Adesanya? A title fight? What do you think is best for the South African? Comment down below.