Right now, the MMA world is abuzz with the middleweight championship battle. The event everyone’s watching is UFC 312, where Dricus du Plessis steps up to defend his hard-earned middleweight crown against Sean Strickland. Initially, the grapevine was filled with whispers about du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev squaring off, but that bout remains a thing of mere speculation.
Dana White, the UFC President, recently stirred the pot by dropping some news about the future fights of Chimaev. The Russian contestant has been rampaging through the competition, with a flawless record to his name. His submission victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 positioned him as the next possible contender for the middleweight championship.
However, the press conference for UFC 312 saw attention diverted to Chimaev once again. The seasoned octagon leader, White, was asked about the unbeaten Russian’s next opponent. In his reply, White shared some light about the road ahead for both Dricus du Plessis and Strickland, contingent on the conclusion of this weekend’s clash.
When discussion veered towards Chimaev’s presence at the event, White remarked, ‘I don’t have any information regarding his presence here. As far as I can tell, he won’t be attending the event. But obviously, he’s up next [for a title challenge].’ This announcement has drawn everybody’s attention to the young and undefeated Chimaev.
Now, Chimaev himself needs to watch and wait to learn who will step into the octagon against him. With this future title clash brewing, fans are rubbing their hands with anticipation for an electrifying showdown. The online space has already heated up with Strickland and Chimaev shooting barbs back and forth.
In a rather confrontational manner, Strickland has displayed no hesitation in taking jabs at Chimaev, even resorting to derogatory language. While Chimaev has preferred to maintain his silence, a desire to settle any disputes inside the octagon is being nurtured. MMA veteran, Tam Khan, for one, wishes to see this feud culminate in a showdown.
Khan stands firm in his belief that if and when Chimaev and Strickland square off, it will be the former who will firmly stand his ground. He goes so far as to predict that the conclusion of this hypothetical fight would greatly overshadow even the infamous Khabib Nurmagomedov’s domination of Conor McGregor at UFC 229.
To realize this thrilling match, Chimaev must patiently await the aftermath of UFC 312. The determinant of his future adversary hangs in the balance of this event. As the pay-per-view event draws nearer, chatter and conjecture are ramping up about the possible outcomes and future matchups.