Dricus Du Plessis says Khamzat Chimaev fight cements his legacy even though he isn’t a “boogeyman” anymore

UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis doesn’t think Khamzat Chimaev is the boogeyman people think he is.

After Du Plessis defended his middleweight title with a decision win over Sean Strickland, the expectation was he would face Chimaev next. It’s an intriguing matchup as many view Chimaev as the boogeyman,  but he doesn’t think that is the case.

“People think of Khamzat as this boogeyman. That’s a fact. I don’t. I don’t see that. For me, I only see one thing, and that’s the potential to do good to my legacy. The potential to make my legacy even better,” Du Plessis said to Ariel Helwani, via MMAJunkie.

Although Khamzat Chimaev is undefeated, Dricus Du Plessis thinks he isn’t as dominant as people think. The middleweight champ also believes when people test Chimaev and match his pace, which he will, that is when he struggles.

Dricus Du Plessis questions Khamzat Chimaev’s cardio

“He’s really hard to deal with in the beginning of the fight, but so am I. When you go that hard, and Round 2, 3, 4, 5 comes, you still have to be there, and I’ve proven that I am there in those rounds,” Du Plessis said. “So that is 100 percent a situation where I see if he can last that long. He has to realize if he wants to come out. I’m still going to be there, like I was there in the first, ready to kill. That will never change in my game.

“If you look at the guys he’s fought, obviously the situation with Robert Whittaker, I mean, that was tough. Big ups to Khamzat. He is an incredible fighter. He did what he did to Rob. Rob’s teeth were already a problem, and that happened. It is what it is. But if you look at a guy like Kamaru Usman, what he did with Khamzat on 10 days’ notice, you look at Gilbert Burns, those guys don’t get intimidated by people screaming ‘I smesh, I smesh’ on a microphone after missing weight. That is not how it works,” Du Plessis added.

Currently, Dricus Du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev is not booked but all signs point to it happening later this year. When it does happen, the champ has full confidence he will hear ‘And Still’ and retain his title.