Following his unanimous decision win against Strickland at UFC 312, Du Plessis sets his sights on a fight with Khamzat Chimaev. While acknowledging his desire to face Alex Pereira in the future, Du Plessis emphasizes the importance of solidifying his legacy in the middleweight division first. He believes a win over Chimaev will further cement his status as the greatest middleweight of all time.
Despite that intriguing bit of theater, Du Plessis realizes there’s a natural order to things, and that means clearing out the remaining challenges in his own division. That includes a future showdown with“I have the world of respect for Alex Pereira . I think he’s the world’s pound-for-pound best,” Du Plessis said at the UFC 312 post-fight press conference. “I have the most respect for what he’s done in such a short period of time in the UFC , to come from another sport and what he’s done there.
“So yes, I want to share the Octagon with that man. I want to beat that guy. I’ve beaten Adesanya, who’s beaten him. I know I can beat him at 205 , 100 percent. But Khamzat is next. Khamzat is next.” Chimaev seemed to be unimpressed with Du Plessis’ unanimous decision triumph over Strickland at UFC 312, though it was a much more convincing performance than the South African’s first victory over his rival more than a year ago.Du Plessis’ current UFC winning streak sits at nine — tied for third most in middleweight history. Creating a legacy in his own division matters to “Stillknocks,” but he also wants to pursue challenges — like Pereira — outside of his weight class.
“Khamzat’s first,” Du Plessis said. “I said , ‘Please beat Ankalaev.’ No hate against Ankalaev; I just want to beat Alex Pereira. It’s nothing personal against Ankalaev, it’s just Pereira. He’s such a legend in this sport to me already that it would be amazing to beat him for my legacy. I want to be the greatest to ever do this. But Khamzat is next. Khamzat is next.
UFC MMA Middleweight Alex Pereira Khamzat Chimaev
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