Khamzat Chimaev is coming for Dricus Du Plessis’ middleweight title, and the Chechen is getting a little help from President-elect Donald Trump … Sort of.
Following his dominant first-round submission victory over Robert Whittaker in Abu Dhabi, fans are clamoring for ‘Borz’ to get his first shot at UFC gold.
Unfortunately, Chimaev will have to get in line as Dana White has already promised the next title opportunity to ex-champion Sean Strickland. Of course, that won’t stop Chimaev from shooting his shot on social media.
Recently, the undefeated Chimaev took to X and tagged Du Plessis in a post featuring an image of Trump pointing his finger.
A little odd seeing a Chechen fighter who lives in the Middle East calling out a South African with a picture of a former and soon-to-be President of the United States, but you do you, Chimaev.
‘The Reaper’ thinks Khamzat chimaev should walk straight into a title fight
Originally, the plan was for ‘DDP’ to put his title on the line against Strickland in a rematch of the UFC 297 clash that saw Du Plessis escape with a win and the belt via a somewhat questionable split decision. By all accounts, that still seems to be the plan, but White recently confirmed that Chimaev plans on competing for the middleweight title in 2025.
The only question is, will it be before or after Strickland’s promised shot?
If you ask Robert Whittaker, the answer is pretty clear.
“I’m interested to see what he does next,” Whittaker said on The MMArcade podcast. “I think he’s going to be a nightmare for a lot of the dudes in the top five because I don’t know how you stop that takedown? I think he should go straight to Dricus. I don’t think sitting out should be rewarded ever. But it’s not my call, not my decision.”
