Dricus Du Plessis warns Islam Makhachev that he is no normal middleweight fighter, and if it makes sense, he would be open to lock horns with the Dagestani fighter. Islam Makhachev strongly aspires to fight at welterweight, but he is opting to suppress his desire solely because the current welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is a friend and a training partner of his – leaving him with no choice but to call out Dricus Du Plessis.
Dricus dureacts to Makhachev saying he'd be willing to move up to 185 and fight him:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 24, 2025
"I'll overpower in any situation. I know he walks around heavy, but I walk around heavy. He's a big lightweight, I'm a big middleweight. There's a big difference there."… pic.twitter.com/y3MlZUKG66
Dricus Du Plessis on Fighting Islam Makhachev
In a recent interview with FOX Sports Australia, the UFC middleweight champion reacted to Makhachev’s desire to jump to 185.
“Look, he trains with 185ers in his gym, but there is only one world champion. So kudos to him for saying what he did, but it doesn’t really matter because I’ll overpower him in any situation. I know he walks around heavy. But I walk around heavy. He’s a big lightweight, I’m a big middleweight. There’s a big difference there”.
As of now Dricus Du Plessis is all set to face Sean Strickland for a rematch on 8th February. On the flip side, Islam Makhachev’s manager says there’s a unique plan for set for him that excludes expected names like Ilia Topuria, Arman Tsarukyan, and Charles Oliveira.
The UFC has a completely different plan for Islam which doesn’t include Oliveira, Arman or Ilias. But it’s an unpredictable sport and you don’t know what could happen.
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) January 20, 2025