Dricus du Plessis (21-2) said Robert Whittaker (25-7) does not deserve an immediate title fight even if he beats Khamzat Chimaev (13-0).
Whittaker will face Chimaev at UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. This will mark the second top middleweight bout in a month, following Sean Strickland’s split decision victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 on June 1.
To clear up some of the confusion in the middleweight title race, du Plessis has expressed an interest in fighting Chimaev if he beats Whittaker. However, for “Stilnox,” the same doesn’t apply to Whittaker, even if he beats Chimaev. The South African would prefer that Whittaker face Strickland in a title eliminator to get another chance at the title. But at the end of the day, as champion, du Plessis is willing to face whoever the UFC gives him as an opponent.
“Obviously, I have all the respect in the world for Whittaker. I think he’s one of the greatest athletes of all time,” du Plessis said in an interview with Fight Wave. “And as for Khamzat, [he’s an] He’s a rising star in the middleweight division because he’s undefeated. So if he beats Whittaker, I want to fight Khamzat. And in my opinion, even if Whittaker beats Khamzat, he doesn’t deserve to be in the title fight. To be honest,
[I] “I’d love to see him and Strickland fight as the number one contenders. But if that doesn’t happen, I’ll still fight Strickland, Adesanya and Khamzat. I’m the champion and I need to fight whoever they give me.”
Du Plessis won his first bout against Whittaker by second-round TKO at UFC 290 in July 2023, earning him a middleweight title fight against then-champion Israel Adesanya. However, du Plessis had to postpone his first title bout due to a leg injury, paving the way for Strickland to pull off one of the biggest upsets in UFC title fight history, defeating Israel Adesanya by dominant decision at UFC 293. Du Plessis finally faced Strickland for the title at UFC 298 in February of this year, winning by narrow split decision. The South African was offered the opportunity to defend his title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 300, but turned it down, citing the short notice.
