When Khamzat Chimaev pulled out of his fight against Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia, the entire MMA community was skeptical about his intention to fight against the former middleweight champion. However, the criticism turned to praise when ‘Borz’ brutally submitted ‘Bobby Knuckles in the very first round at UFC 308. In addition to his submission victory, Chimaev even partially broke Whittaker’s jaw. His lightning-fast wrestling and swift submission attempts have led the entire MMA community to believe that he could potentially overcome the middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis. However, his former opponent has some doubts.

Chimaev’s last opponent, Kamaru Usman believes that the Chechen fighter has what it takes to give a hard time to Dricus Du Plessis but believes that it would be gravely difficult for him to score a finish against the champion. During a conversation on the Pound-for-Pound podcast, Henry Cejudo sparked the discussion about Khamzat Chimaev’s ability to take down Dricus Du Plessis, “Could he pull the same style against Dricus Du Plessis?” To which the Usman stated, “1000%”

Henry Cejudo then chimed in to further emphasize his question, “Could he get him down? 100%. But keep him down? The guy likes to scramble.” Khamzat Chimaev has one of the best takedown ratios in the game. Chiamev has 46% accuracy and 100% defense. In addition to that he has an average of 4.31 takedowns. Despite these records, Kamaru Usman believes that ‘Borz’ will not be able to finish Dricus Du Plessis, “Khamzat is hell in that first round; he’s hell when he’s dry like that, and he’s big and strong. Do I think he can do that to Dricus? I think 100% he could take Dricus down. I think he can keep him down, but I don’t know if he can get the finish,” said Usman.

He further added, “Because Dricus is very, very tough. There’s a reason Dricus is the champ—he’s very tough, and Dricus will not stop trying. Will Khamzat take him down? Yes. Could he keep him down? Yes, maybe even win the first round. But can he finish him? I don’t know.” Kamaru Usman fought Chimaev at UFC 294, so he knows what he is talking about. Chimaev attempted multiple takedowns on ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ but ultimately failed to submit him; it ended in a decision victory for ‘Borz’.

Well, Usman believes that Chimaev has primarily fought technical fighters until now, but Dricus Du Plessis is completely different from the typical competitors. The South African champion may appear to be exhausted and easy to take down, but when you actually attempt a takedown, he will use it against you. That’s how Du Plessis has won many of his matches. StillKnocks’ last fight against Israel Adesanya showcased his unconventional fighting style as well as his ability to turn everything around for himself. Regardless, this fight will happen sooner or later but according to Joe Rogan, the promotion shouldn’t wait and book this fight as soon as possible.

Joe Rogan up for Khamzat Chimaev vs. Dricus Du Plessis after UFC 308

After witnessing Khamzat Chimaev‘s jaw-breaking submission victory over Robert Whittaker, Joe Rogan was convinced that ‘Borz’ should be the one to be the next fighter to take on Dricus Du Plessis. Rogan watched the fight from back home, as he never travels outside the United States to cover events. As he witnessed the masterclass, he said, “‘That guy’s [Chimaev] a scary a– motherf–ker. That grappling is next level. He’s a beast.”

He further added, “Once he gets a hold of you, it’s so dangerous…You give him the title shot. Holy sh-t. He gets a title shot, I think. Not just [beating Whittaker in the first round], but ran through him. He didn’t get touched. He ran through him and strangled him in the first round. He might be the guy…Think about this at [185 pounds]. So this guy was killing himself to get to 170. At 185, he’s the f–king man. [Chimaev] took [Whittaker] down, choked him, and broke his jaw. Broke his jaw with a squeeze from a rear naked choke…If you’re Sean Strickland, that result worries you…That’s scary to a guy that’s considered the No. 1 contender.”

Well, Joe Rogan is not the only man who believes that Khamzat Chimaev should fight Dricus Du Plessis next, even StillKnocks’ coach emphasized that he is next in the line for the fight, “We want Khamzat [Chimaev] next in February. Prepare to be amazed once again.” wrote his coach while congratulating the winners of UFC 308. As the date has been confirmed by the coach, has the time come for Khamzat Chimaev to clinch the title finally? State your thoughts in the comments below.