“Brother, Eww.” This was Dricus du Plessis’ response to the sweaty morning greeting that Khazmat Chimaev had extended to the South African fighter last month. The undefeated Chechen has emerged as the top contender in the middleweight division after submitting Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 in October and he has made no secret of his desire to come for DDP’s title. Du Plessis, for his part, has not backed down either stating that “Khamzat is next” in his quest to be middleweight’s GOAT. While this sets the stage for the highly anticipated showdown, Dana White is yet to make things official.

At the UFC 312 pre-fight press conference, White announced that the winner of du Plessis vs Strickland 2 face Khamzat Chimaev. However, nothing much has come in the way of an official announcement following DDP’s unanimous decision. However, a few days back, a close friend of Chimaev, said that a deal had been signed for the fight as we await a final call from Dana White. But that hasn’t stopped Chimaev from firing warning shots at du Plessis. If his last message was meant to depict hilarity, his latest IG story suggests that he means business.

Borz recently reposted a video from professional fighter Shamil Baraev on his Instagram story. The video showed Chimaev walking into the octagon, with the caption, “Soon and new Insha Allah,” referring to the middleweight title. ‘Borz’ appears to have stated his goal clearly: he believes he is the natural heir to the DDP’s throne.

Chimaev’s wrestling prowess put him at an advantage and he will arguably present the most formidable challenge to DDP’s title run to date. The Chechen fighter has dominated his opposition with his grappling in his previous fights and has risen the ranks since making the full-time move from welterweight to middleweight. His win over Whittaker was a gruesome reminder to DDP. He submitted Whittaker with a face crank in the first round and left him with a broken jaw and detached bottom teeth.

With wins over Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns under his belt, he is likely going to enter the eventual DDP fight as the favorite. However, du Plessis isn’t intimidated by the prospect of facing the undefeated Chimaev. Talking to Ariel Helwani last month, the defending champion opened up about his plans to overcome the threat of ‘Borz.’

He pointed out how fighters like Usman and Burns weren’t intimated by Chimaev and added that he doesn’t believe that there’s an aura around Chimaev, given his own impressive record. Moreover, du Plessis hopes to exploit what may be the only chink in Chimaev’s armor.

Despite his impressive run, questions remain whether the Chechen can last deep into the latter championship rounds. “He goes for it in that first round, and he’s really hard to deal with in the beginning of a fight, but so am I,” du Plessis said. “Once we get there, that’s the thing. When you go that hard in [the first] round … two, three, four, five comes, you still have to be there. I’ve proven that I am there in those rounds. So that is 100% a situation where I see if he can last that long. He has to realize, every round, I’m going to come out. I’m still going to be there like I was in the first, ready to kill. And that will never change in my game,” du Plessis told Helwani.

The battle lines have been drawn and all that remains is for Dana White to make an official announcement. While du Plessis isn’t sure of when he will get to share the octagon with Chimaev, he did express his interest in the fight happening during International Fight Week in late June. Chimaev’s friend, Rassoul Chamsoudinov, appeared to hint at the same thing during a livestream on March 13.

Chamsoudinov said, “We’ve [Chimaev] signed already [to fight du Plessis]. So now we need to set the dates. Topuria, Makhachev will fight the same night as Khamzat Chimaev. Like that. In June. Get ready.”

As the middleweight landscape shifts, Khamzat Chimaev remains a threat. Whether the UFC officially books him against Du Plessis or pushes him to prove himself once more, one thing is guaranteed: he is ready for war as evidenced by his Instagram story. In fact, he has also earned the trust of a UFC champion who believes that there definitely is no way that ‘Stillknocks’ will be able to face Khamzat Chimaev, and when they do, there is no stopping ‘Borz.’

UFC champ speculates the end of Dricus Du Plessis’s reign through Khamzat Chimaev

As speculation grows, welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has shared his thoughts, clearly saying where he stands. ‘Remember the Name’ has long indicated a desire to go up to middleweight in pursuit of double-champion status, and his rivalry with Du Plessis has already sparked intense social media debates. Muhammad has openly attacked the middleweight division, calling it one of the easiest in the UFC, with only Chimaev standing out as a real contender. Du Plessis, who made fun of his size, was not pleased with his remarks. However, in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Muhammad disregarded the South African champion’s ability, boldly stating, “Bro, I would literally take his shots, eat them, and then walk through them.”

Muhammad didn’t mince words about the fight, saying, “He’s got a tough test in front of him with Khamzat. I don’t think he’s gonna get past Khamzat. But maybe I still go up there anyway to smack him around, right?” Despite Muhammad’s confidence, Du Plessis has constantly proved why he belongs at the top, defeating three past champions, including one twice. So, what do you think? Who will be the one to win the fight? Let us know in the comments.

The UFC’s middleweight division is ready to witness two powerful forces go one-on-one in the Octagon. If or when Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev do face off, fans surely can expect some fireworks. With his ground game being the top weapon in his arsenal, ‘Borz’ would be looking forward to decimating his opponent. But the biggest threat for him would be Dricus Du Plessis’s unorthodox striking.

However, his most significant statement came when he claimed that Du Plessis had no chance against Chimaev, implying that even if the champion lost his belt, Muhammad would still step up to settle their feud inside the Octagon.