Khamzat Chimaev: Khamzat Chimaev gets blunt message from Dricus du Plessis over wrestling expectations

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has sent Khamzat Chimaev a stern message, after recently discussing his wrestling pedigree ahead of their potential bout.

While nothing has been confirmed yet by the UFC, it is expected that du Plessis will defend the 185-pound title against Chimaev later this year. 'Borz' cemented himself as the No.1 contender with a dominating win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, submitting the former champ in the first round.

For 'Stillknocks', the South African most recently defended his title for the second time when he and Sean Strickland ran it back in February. After their first bout ended in a split-decision victory for du Plessis, he left no question in their second fight, securing a unanimous decision victory.

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Ahead of his potential bout against Khamzat Chimaev, Dricus du Plessis recently offered his thoughts on the threat of Chimaev's wrestling. The Chechen-born star is widely considered to be one of the UFC's most dangerous fighters, as nobody has yet taken the 31-year-old down to the canvas.

Speaking on a recent episode of The Sias du Plessis Show, the champ praised Chimaev for his world-class skillset, however, he believes he won't allow him to show it if they face-off. He said:

"His [Chimaev] wrestling is world class. It's phenomenal...This is not striking, this is not wrestling, this is no grappling. This is MMA. When the night comes, it's not about teaching him a lesson, it's about proving once again that I will be the greatest of all time and doing whatever I have to to prove that. Yes I know his wrestling is great, it is 100%...But you're only as good as your opponent lets you, and I won't let you look good."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (54:30):

Dricus du Plessis explains his problem with Bo Nickal

Dricus du Plessis recently weighed in on Bo Nickal's first MMA defeat and explained why he has a problem with the American wrestler.

Nickal faced off against Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines last weekend, suffering a second-round TKO loss after the Dutchman landed a devastating knee to the body that dropped him to the canvas.

Following Nickal's defeat, du Plessis shared his thoughts on the fight, revealing why he has a problem with the middleweight contender. Speaking on the same episode of The Sias du Plessis Show, he said:

"What I do have a problem with was [Nickal] was talking about people who has done what he has never done. He became a three-time NCAA champion if I'm not mistaken. Well, I mean, this is not wrestling... and he found out the hard way."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (32:00):

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Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi