“I want Khamzat next. I think he deserves a hiding,” declared middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis during the UFC 312 post-fight press conference, following his successful second title defense. A potential clash between Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev has all the makings of an instant classic. Du Plessis’s unorthodox striking and tank-like frame against Chimaev’s suffocating grappling and ever-improving standup game presents a fascinating stylistic puzzle that has fans and analysts buzzing with anticipation.

The UFC version of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, their fight promises nothing but fireworks and excitement. But why is that the case exactly? We’ll let verbose UFC analyst and former superstar Chael Sonnen explain.

“Is he [Du Plessis] good enough to defend the takedowns of Chimaev? Let’s go further with it. Is he good enough to take Chimaev down?,” Sonnen asked in a video posted on his Instagram account. ‘Borz’, of course, is perhaps the best wrestler in the entire division as he showcased by submitting Robert Whittaker in the very first round last year. But there is also, of course, the striking to consider.

“I’ve never seen Chimaev lose a stand-up fight. Watching how good Dricus is in a stand-up fight, do you believe that Chimaev can tackle this man? Chimaev has gotten on top of everybody with no exception inside of five minutes. And you guys remember the Robert Whittaker fight- he came right across the ring and got him down right away,” ‘Uncle Chael’ reminded fans.

“Chimaev versus Dricus feels different. What a match. Dricus Du Plessis- world champion. It’s not quite clear that he couldn’t go with Alex Pereira. It’s not quite as obvious as it felt. It’s not quite as obvious that he can’t go with Chimaev. Things feel very different right now,” he added.

As Sonnen hinted, the Chechen wolf is sure to try and takedown Du Plessis as soon as he can and keep the fight there a much as possible. This means that the South African’s grappling will be very crucial.

‘DDP’ does have a good ground game, but will it be enough to tackle with Chimaev’s? Well, we don’t know. On the feet, Du Plessis may hold the edge, but does he hold enough of it to dismantle Khamzat Chimaev in striking? Again, we don’t know, and that is what makes this matchup so intriguing. But the 185lbs gold standard already has a game plan.

Dricus Du Plessis’ stunning gameplan for Khamzat Chimaev

“Counter the jab, oh no, that was the gameplan for Strickland, let me just think of something. The blitz, no, [that was] Rob[ert Whittaker]. Yeah, I’ll just out-wrestle him, that’s the game plan,” Du Plessis told reporters after UFC 312, probably in jest. We say probably because we’re not sure.

This is Dricus Du Plessis, after all, a true warrior- who wouldn’t be above actively seeking to wrestle with Chimaev, even though the undefeated Emirati is a nightmare on the ground. Robert Whittaker, who has fought both Chimaev and Du Plessis, for instance, is undecided.

“Stopping that first takedown is so crazy. The way he [Chimaev] shoots that first shot is so crazy. How do you stop that dude? Jump over him?” Whittaker asked on his podcast, but did feel that ‘DDP’ may be able to stuff ‘Borz’s “takedown attempts just because Du Plessis is like a big dude.” 

Notice how even ‘Bobby Knuckles’, the man literally best positioned to answer these questions is indecisive. That is how 50/50 Du Plessis-Chimaev is. And those, of course, make for the best fights. What do you think about Chael Sonnen’s take on a potential Du Plessis-Chimaev clash?