Dricus Du Plessis is a tougher fight than Khamzat Chimaev: Sean Strickland

Sean Strickland sees Dricus Du Plessis as a more challenging fight than Khamzat Chimaev and recently shared his two cents on his upcoming bout against the South African contender.

Strickland is set to face Du Plessis in a middleweight title fight at UFC 297 on January 20 in Toronto. 'Tarzan' is coming off a shocking title victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September. While Du Plessis was initially expected to fight Adesanya for the title, an injury forced him to pull out of the fight.

At UFC 294 last month, Khamzat Chimaev defeated Kamaru Usman via majority decision in a 185-pound contest and was expected to challenge Sean Strickland for the title. However, it seems the Chechnya native picked up a wrist injury and won't be able to compete in January.

This development worked out perfectly for Dricus Du Plessis. After his incredible second-round knockout over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 in July, many believed that 'Stillknocks' should be the next rightful title challenger. While an injury spoiled his plans then, he's now on track to capitalize his title shot against Strickland.

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sean Strickland outlined why Du Plessis was a tougher fight than Khamzat Chimaev and said:

"I think Dricus is like so awkward he’s good... He’s so awkward he’s good. It’s gonna be a f***ing war. He’ll be a tougher fight than Chimaev... Chimaev, he doesn’t f***ing deserve it... The only reason why Chimaev gets that shot is because he sells a lot of tickets." [h/t mmafighting.com]

Watch the full video below:

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Paul Craig wants Khamzat Chimaev next with a win at UFC Vegas 82 this weekend

Paul Craig has his sights set on Khamzat Chimaev and hopes to fight the undefeated grappling sensation next. The Scottish fighter is gearing up to face Brendan Allen in a middleweight contest at UFC Vegas 82 this weekend.

Craig made his 185-pound debut in his last fight against Andre Muniz at UFC London in July and marked the occasion with a second-round TKO victory. While he previously expressed his eagerness to fight the mercurial Bo Nickal in the future, it seems 'Bearjew' has had a change of heart.

During a pre-fight media day interview, Paul Craig named Khamzat Chimaev as his desired opponent if he beats Brendan Allen and said:

"Bo Nickal’s one of these guys where he’s got a bit of love. But there’s other guys in front of me who I’d love to fight. I’m 35 and eight fights [left contractually]. I want to get as close to the title as possible... I want to share the octagon with those who are in that top 10, top 5, guys like Khamzat Chimaev, who’s one of the best middleweights."