The tide is rising at the top of the UFC’s middleweight division.
Ahead of his title clash with Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the main event of UFC 319 this Saturday, Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has shared his thoughts on the division’s other surging contenders.
The main event of UFC Paris on September 6 — featuring hometown favorite Nassourdine Imavov (16-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) against Caio Borralho (17-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) — is widely expected to determine the next challenger for whoever leaves Chicago with the belt this weekend.
Although both Imavov and Borralho are riding impressive winning streaks at 185 pounds, “Stillknocks” admits he’s far from thrilled at the idea of facing either man should he get past Chimaev on Saturday.
"Imavov has put in some work and Caio Borralho I rate him, I think he's a really good fighter," Du Plessis told CBS Sports. "I do think Caio Borralho beats Imavov, in my opinion. I think he's more all-around. Neither one of those fights really get me excited right now. I'm fighting Khamzat Chimaev (Saturday). That's the only thing that gets me excited right now."
Alongside Imavov and Borralho, Reinier de Ridder has been building his case to become the next challenger for the title. De Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) — a former two-division world champion in ONE Championship — has made a thrilling start to his UFC career since joining the promotion a year ago. A trio of stoppage victories over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, and Bo Nickal earned the Dutchman a high-profile main event against former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi last month.
De Ridder’s impressive win over “The Reaper” that night sparked multiple calls for him to receive the next title shot, but Du Plessis believes “RDR” needs to accomplish a bit more inside the Octagon before entering the title conversation.
"I like Reinier on a personal level," Du Plessis said. "I've trained with him and he was in the organization that I fought in here in South Africa. He is a good guy. He is a good fighter. There's similarities. People think, 'Oh, he's never going to do this. Oh, he looks terrible.' He's been proving everybody wrong, and he's doing everything he said he was going to do, so (I'm) impressed with that. I think he has a ways to go still. Robert Whittaker, beating him right now doesn't earn you that title shot."
