UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis is eyeing double champ status but not before he completes his business at 185 pounds.
Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) is currently linked to a title defense against Israel Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC), potentially on Aug. 17 at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.
A pivotal middleweight clash between Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Robert Whittaker takes place in the UFC on ABC 6 headliner June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. If Chimaev emerges victorious, Du Plessis hopes to face him if he’s successful vs. Adesanya.
For Du Plessis, adding wins over Adesanya and Chimaev to his resume makes him worthy of a shot at light heavyweight gold.
“I believe beating Adesanya – if Khamzat beats Whittaker, beating Khamzat, that earns you a spot at light heavyweight,” Du Plessis said on “The Sias du Plessis Show.” “Because then if you look at the greats, the boogeyman everybody seems to be scared of in Khamzat, I would love that fight. Fighting Izzy (Adesanya), beating Izzy, one of the best middleweights to ever do it, and beating Robert Whittaker, one of the other best middleweights, that earns you that spot.
“But like I said, I have no problems defending my belt a few times before that. For now, my focus is 100 percent on that middleweight division and my next fight, which in all likelihood will be Israel Adesanya, and that’s where all my focus is. Obviously that’s in the trajectory for me, but none of the other plans can come together without this.”
Prior to the UFC, Du Plessis was a former double champion at EFC, capturing both their welterweight and middleweight titles.
