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The unlikely champion, Dricus Du Plessis, keeps on winning.
“Stillknocks” knocked off Sean Strickland in dominant fashion in the main event of UFC 312. With the first fight being so close, Du Plessis put on a clinic, breaking Strickland’s nose in the process.
Now all eyes are looking forward and the Team CIT champion doesn’t have an easy path ahead. Who does the 31-year-old fight next? Let’s look at some options.
The fan favorite: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev seems like the obvious next choice for Dricus Du Plessis. Everyone is on the Chimaev hype train. After his win over Robert Whittaker, where he broke Whittaker’s jaw with a choke, everyone assumed he was next and could have been given the shot over Strickland. But we had Strickland waiting and ready.
A matchup between Du Plessis and Chimaev is tantalizing. Chimaev hasn’t fought anyone near as big as the South African champion. When he fought Kamaru Usman, a short notice fight for Usman, Chimaev faded late in the fight.
This fight would answer so many questions. Is Chimaev’s gas tank there? Can Du Plessis fend off a wrestler of that caliber? Is there anyone that can push Du Plessis backwards?
More deserving than Chimaev?
What if I told you that there was someone who earned a title shot against Dricus Du Plessis over Khamzat Chimaev? There is someone there that fills these shoes: Nassourdine Imavov. Imavov is coming off of a second round knockout of Israel Adesanya just last weekend. It may sound crazy but hear me out.
Chimaev has fought twice at 185: Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker. He’s won both. But Usman is a welterweight and came in on short notice for that fight. Nassourdine Imavov has a much better resume at middleweight.
Since his loss to Strickland in 2023, Imavov has knocked off 10th ranked Roman Dolidze, 7th ranked Jared Cannonier, 9th ranked Brendan Allen, and 4th ranked Israel Adesanya. That’s their rankings now, all of which were much higher when Imavov fought them.
Nassourdine Imavov deserves the title shot the most.
The Superfight: Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira is the third option. This is a weird option. Pereira has teased wanting to fight Dricus Du Plessis all week and with Strickland losing, the two have continued to trade barbs online.
Pereira is a super star for the UFC. He’s the former middleweight champion, Du Plessis’ division, and the current light heavyweight champion. Du Plessis is massive for 185. If he wanted to move up, he certainly could.
Pereira would, of course, have to beat Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. But look for Du Plessis to forgo a fight with either Chimaev or Imavov in favor of a big money fight like one with Pereira.
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