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Dricus Du Plessis has said he expects to fight Khamzat Chimaev “in the next couple of months”, claiming he has agreed to two dates for a UFC title defence.
Du Plessis won the middleweight belt with a decision victory over Sean Strickland in January 2024, before retaining the gold by submitting Israel Adesanya in August and outpointing Strickland again this February.
He has since been linked to a defence against the unbeaten Chimaev, who recently bought into rumours that Du Plessis was injured and unable to fight him this summer. However, Du Plessis took to social media to dismiss those rumours last week.
And now the South African, 31, has sought to provide more clarity on a fight with Chimaev, saying on The Sias du Plessis Show on Wednesday (7 May): “So, we have a date, but we have potential of two dates. I already agreed to both.
“A lot of people are saying: ‘Is it this year?’ Yes, 100 per cent. It’s not far away. It’s not that far away. The announcement will be made soon.
“Me and the UFC, we’ve known. All these rumours that came out with injuries, I don’t know where it came from. It was ridiculous. I was like, ‘Okay,’ and I just left it for like a week and then I was like, ‘Okay, everybody had their fun, now you’re all going to look stupid.’
“We’ve already agreed on a date. That’s been a while ago, so I’m just waiting for the contract, but that’s the fight that’s happening. It’s going to be happening in the next couple of months, maximum four months.
“It’s going to happen one of these days. Nothing is signed, but I’ve already agreed to any date. Any date that they gave me, I said: ‘Cool, ready. Let’s do it.’”
Some fans expect Du Plessis vs Chimaev to headline UFC 317 during International Fight Week on 28 June, though it is also believed that the UFC could try to arrange Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall and/or Islam Makhachev vs Ilia Topuria for that event.
With the UFC 316 and 318 main events already set (Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O’Malley 2 on 7 June; Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway 3 on 19 July), Du Plessis could theoretically fight Chimaev at UFC 319 in August, if not at UFC 317.
Chimaev, 31, last fought in October, submitting former champion Robert Whittaker in round one. With that result, the Russian moved to 14-0 as a professional and 8-0 in the UFC. Twelve of his career wins have come via stoppage, nine of them in the first round.
Du Plessis, meanwhile, is 23-2 as a pro and 9-0 in the UFC. His last four wins have all come against former champions – two against Strickland, one against Adesanya, and one against Whittaker.
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