UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis took a page out of Conor McGregor’s playbook.
Tensions are ramping up between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev ahead of their highly-anticipated middleweight title clash at UFC 319. After du Plessis retained the middleweight belt at UFC 312, and amidst Chimaev’s undefeated run in his UFC career, the two middleweights set up what could be an instant classic matchup in Chicago.
Du Plessis successfully defended the title against Sean Strickland at UFC 312, amidst Chimaev’s long wait for a middleweight title shot. Chimaev hasn’t fought since finishing Robert Whittaker in their co-main event bout at UFC 308 in October.
While UFC 319 is still three months away, that hasn’t stopped du Plessis and Chimaev from getting the pre-fight banter started early.
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Dricus du Plessis takes a controversial route in Khamzat Chimaev beef
Amidst his unblemished title reign and dominant performances in the Octagon, du Plessis has quickly become one of the best trash talkers in MMA. Recent feuds with Strickland, Israel Adesanya, and recently-dethroned UFC welterweight champ Belal Muhammad showcase du Plessis’s creative route at mental warfare.
Du Plessis hasn’t been afraid to toe the line when it comes to pre-fight trash talk, after making Strickland cry from bringing up his traumatic childhood ahead of UFC 297. The cold remark resulted in du Plessis and Strickland brawling cageside while attending UFC 296.
But while du Plessis hasn’t budged in his ability to perform ‘mic drops’ on his opponents, he hasn’t crossed the line in his social media banter. Conor McGregor‘s ongoing feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov is the darkest in UFC history, featuring personal attacks on family members and hateful remarks from the former two-division champion.
One of McGregor’s most vile claims is his stance that Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and other Dagestani fighters are results of inbreeding. Despite the blowback McGregor has suffered from these remarks, du Plessis mirrored them in his own back-and-forth with Chimaev.
After Chimaev mocked du Plessis’s coaches earlier this week, it didn’t take long for the middleweight champ to respond.
In a recent response on X, du Plessis took things a step further in his growing feud with Chimaev.
“O s— would get you but there’s no inbred emoji..” du Plessis replied.
Sean Strickland made his prediction for Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev showdown
Meanwhile, Strickland, a former training partner of Chimaev’s and a two-time opponent of du Plessis, shared an intriguing prediction for the upcoming middleweight title fight. Strickland picked his two-time rival du Plessis to hand Chimaev his first setback in the Octagon when they square off at UFC 319.
Strickland was recently called out by Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines, although De Ridder is set to face a former titleholder later this summer. De Ridder will face Whittaker in a highly-anticipated showdown at UFC Abu Dhabi.
As for du Plessis and Chimaev, things are quickly escalating ahead of UFC 319. Don’t be surprised if things become chaotic the next time the two sides come face-to-face before fight night.