Dricus du Plessis explains why Islam Makhachev super fight would be ‘easy payday’ for him

By Fernando Quiles - January 28, 2025

Dricus du Plessis doesn’t see Islam Makhachev giving him much of a problem if they ever share the Octagon.

Dricus du Plessis Islam Makhachev

Both du Plessis and Makhachev currently hold UFC gold. The middleweight title belongs to du Plessis, and he will look to have a second successful defense when he meets Sean Strickland in a rematch on February 8th. As for Makhachev, he recently made history by setting a new record for the most successful UFC Lightweight Championship defenses when he submitted Renato Moicano.

There has been much chatter from Makhachev’s camp about moving up to welterweight in hopes of becoming a “champ-champ,” but an eventual move to 185 pounds has also been teased.

RELATED: ISLAM MAKHACHEV CALLS OUT DRICUS DU PLESSIS AS HE TEASES DOUBLE CHAMP PUSH

Dricus du Plessis Not Focused on Islam Makhachev

During an interview with Main Event TV, Dricus du Plessis said his attention is on his UFC 312 title fight, not on Islam Makhachev.

“It’s hard to really think of and take it seriously right now, there’s a big fight coming up.” du Plessis said. “So, I don’t make anything of it.”

With that said, du Plessis does give Makhachev his due for a historic run in the lightweight division.

“He is an incredible fighter, make no mistake,” du Plessis said. “Geez, he was so incredibly good against Moicano. He once again proved why he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”

Easy Money for DDP?

If there is a world where du Plessis and Makhachev do end up sharing the Octagon, the 185-pound champion doesn’t think it ends well for the 155-pound ruler.

“He obviously trains with 185ers, he doesn’t train against me,” du Plessis said. “Believe me, it’s not the same thing. Even on a technical level, I can just stand up. His wrestling and grappling is phenomenal, I’ll just overpower him. That’s what I think. It makes a massive difference. He’s a big lightweight, but I’m a big middleweight. There’s a big difference between a big lightweight and a big middleweight, but if there’s ever the situation where there’s no fight for me, no fight for him that makes sense, I’ll be more than happy to do that. Easy payday.”

The resume that du Plessis has been putting together has MMA fans in awe. He’s beaten the likes of Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, and Sean Strickland. He is undefeated under the UFC banner and hasn’t suffered a pro MMA loss since 2018. Can he keep the streak going when he clashes with Strickland again at UFC 312?

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the original source and leave an H/T to BJPenn.com with a link back for the transcription.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Dricus du Plessis Islam Makhachev UFC