Alright, here’s the deal. Dana White didn’t exactly spill the beans at the UFC 314 press conference, but he got pretty close. He said, “Many want to see Chimaev in the main event. It’s going to be fun! Stay tuned for Tuesday.” That’s all it took. The MMA world took it as a clear nod toward a potential middleweight title fight, Khamzat Chimaev vs. Dricus Du Plessis, possibly at UFC 317 during International Fight Week. Not long after that press conference, Chimaev went on X and posted just two words: “Good News.” Short and vague, but knowing how this game works, fans immediately assumed it meant one thing. The undefeated juggernaut is in! He’s ready. And the title shot is most likely on the table.

Now, to be honest, this matchup is a bit of a mystery. It’s one of those fights where you look at both guys and can genuinely imagine either of them walking away with the belt. Chimaev brings that crazy pressure and wrestling-heavy style that breaks guys. Meanwhile, Du Plessis? The South African is a tank of a man! He’s awkward, but tough as well. Unpredictable and weirdly effective, and that makes it super hard to formulate a game plan against him.

Looking at the early odds that SportsBetting.ag displayed just after UFC 312, Chimaev was the early favorite at -200. Du Plessis was the underdog at +160. But not for long. The lines started to move, and now things look a lot tighter. Currently, Chimaev sits at -145, and the 185lbs kingpin has crept up to +125. That says a lot that people are starting to believe in the champ. But here’s the thing, despite the momentum Du Plessis has, a lot of people still think ‘Borz’ is the guy. Ikram Aliskerov, who went up against Chimaev back in BRAVE CF 23, even said he thinks his former opponent definitely has an edge against the champ.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Aliskerov said, “In my opinion, Chimaev I think. He’s like good, very good. You see his last fight with Whittaker, not last, all his fight. He have everything, he have good wrestling, grappling, and striking. But, he’s not a simple guy, Du Plessis, you know. All the fight people think about ‘this fight he lose’, but he didn’t lose, he win anybody, brother. It’s great fight, good fight, but I hope Chimaev win.”

Yeah, that’s a pretty balanced take. Aliskerov backing Chimaev isn’t some huge shock. Remember the time when Khamzat Chimaev ran through Whittaker like it was a cake walk. That same Whittaker who took Du Plessis the 2nd round and got busted up. That sticks in people’s heads. He’s also got a wave of fan support behind him. Everyone’s hyped. They want to see ‘Borz’ take over. But with that kind of hype? Comes pressure. Like, real pressure. This isn’t just a title shot, it’s the fight where he’s expected to prove everything. So, let’s see how fans are reacting to it!

Fans react as Khamzat Chimaev gets backed against Dricus Du Plessis

A fan recognized that this fight won’t be easy for Khamzat Chimaev. The current champion is not an easy fight for anyone, even for a juggernaut like him. “He is right, DDP isn’t easy fight for khamzat, but khamzat is different, inshallah khamzat gonna win and take the belt.” Another user wrote the complete opposite and wrote that the South African is a simple fight for Chimaev but the champ will get all the respect if he makes it close, “Ddp is a simple fight fr but if he make it close against khamzat, then all respect in the world to him.” 

Another user quipped that the 5-round main event would be an advantage to ‘Stillknocks’ as there have been concerns with Chimaev’s gas tank in the past. “3 round fight Khazmat 5 round … slight edge to DDP,” considering that the fact that Chimaev is going to be a menace in the early rounds, and Du Plessis gets better as the fight progresses. Another user agrees with this comment, “Khamzat has everything for 3 minutes, from there it’s downhill!”  The 185lbs champion looked amazing in his previous bouts, so a user recognized that and wrote, “DDP is so underrated, look at his CV of who he has beaten.”

Some Chimaev fans were absolutely sure of his victory when the time came. A user takes it even further, by commenting, “people think DDP has a chance… khamzat is going to break Silva’s and Jon’s records. The only one who could do it!” Another user completely disagreed with this comment and countered, “Khamzat would make a terrible champion because he fights once in 3 years. We don’t need another Jon Jones.” Another user has bookmarked just to get back after the fight: “Bookmarked, don’t delete after the fight”.

Do you think Dricus Du Plessis can defend his belt against Khamzat Chimaev? Please drop your comments below.