Chimaev delivered a dominant performance against du Plessis in August 2025. “Borz” had nearly 22 minutes of control time en route to a unanimous decision and the UFC middleweight title. It was a bust and left many wondering who can give Chimaev a run for his money at £185.
Du Plessis still believes he can be that fighter. Speaking about the “Battle Prediction,” du Plessis said he thinks he can push Chimaev to take his fight in a rematch (via MMA Junkie).
“Fighting Khamzat again is what I’m looking for,” Du Plessis said. “Am I expecting any surprises? No. There won’t be any surprises. That’s the way he’s going to fight, and if he tries anything else, it’s going to be a terrible night, and we all know that. But he did what he had to do to win that title.”
“We can’t hate him for that. It’s the rules of the game and he did that. So saying it’s not fair, it’s fair. He did what he had to do. Not how I would win my title or want to, but that’s what he did. Now it’s my responsibility to fix that to prevent him from doing it again, and to get him to fight my fight.”
Du Plessis hopes to return in April. While the former UFC middleweight champion doesn’t have a fight booked, he’s willing to face just about any UFC matchmaker who offers him. Du Plessis may be hoping for another fight against Chimaev, but many agree that likely won’t happen anytime soon.
Chimaev hasn’t competed since winning middleweight gold against du Plessis.
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