Islam Makhachev has been asking to move up to the upper weight division and fight to become a double champion for a long while now. But following his phenomenal submission win over Renato Moicano at UFC 311, the undisputed UFC lightweight champion pointed out that he has the ‘key’ to defeat Dricus Du Plessis. But the middleweight champion certainly doesn’t think so. 

After Makhachev’s words went viral on the internet, Du Plessis revealed his thoughts on the matchup during a recent conversation with Main Event TV. ‘Stillknocks’ didn’t really evade the battle against Makhachev.

He expressed his amazement at the Dagestani’s skills. The way he squeezed the air out of Moicano’s lungs with a D’Arce choke left DDP flabbergasted. He said, “Geez, he was so incredibly good against Moicano. He once again proved why he’s the pound-for-pound best in the world.” However, Makhachev was about 30 lbs lighter than Du Plessis and that was where the issues lay.  

The MW champ continued, “He obviously trains with 185ers in his gym. He doesn’t train against me. Believe me. It’s not the same thing. Even on the technical level, like stand-up, that’s just, you know, his wrestling and grappling is phenomenal. I’m just overpowered. That’s what I think. It makes a massive difference. He’s a big lightweight, but I’m a big middleweight. There’s a big difference between a big lightweight and a big middleweight. But if there’s ever a situation where there’s no fight for me, no fight for him that makes sense, I’ll be more than happy to do that. Easy payday!”

On the other hand, Islam Makhachev seemed to believe that he would be the one to rise victorious if he ever fought with Dricus Du Plessis. After all, he claimed that he had the ‘keys to victory’ against the middleweight champion. But what made the Dagestani champ say so? Let’s find out!

Islam Makhachev analyzes a fight against Dricus Du Plessis

During a conversation with Ushatayka TV, Makhachev weighed in on the matchup between him and Du Plessis. He revealed that his height would let him compete in the middleweight division. All he needed to do next was to gain some muscle mass and weight. If the UFC big guns offered him the fight against the South African champion, he wouldn’t turn them down. Well, that’s because he was confident that he would win. 

Makhachev said, “I would 100 percent agree to fight at middleweight. I’m not saying that I have a better chance, that I can 100 percent finish Du Plessis, but watching his fights, watching his style, I think I have the keys to victory.” 

While the Dagestani champion has an advantage with his impressive grappling skills, he’s also a phenomenal striker. Defeating Alexander Volkanovski with a head kick is not a straightforward task. But one can’t underestimate the skills that Du Plessis has shown in the Octagon. Nevertheless, it would be nothing short of exciting to watch the two go up against each other in the MW realm.

What are your thoughts on the matchup between Du Plessis and Makhachev? Do you think Makhachev can rise victorious over DDP? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.