Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has responded to Khamzat Chimaev after Chimaev publicly questioned Du Plessis`s integrity.
Rumors circulated on Sunday suggesting that Du Plessis might be injured, potentially delaying a planned championship fight against Chimaev at UFC 317 in June. Chimaev reacted to these rumors on Twitter, accusing Du Plessis of dishonesty.
“This guy is full of it,” Chimaev posted.
Du Plessis quickly replied in the comments of Chimaev`s post, defending himself and seemingly criticizing Chimaev`s own recent activity.
“Let’s look at the past 2.5 years and see who is actually avoiding fights,” Du Plessis retorted.
MMA Fighting contacted sources within the UFC about the situation. One source indicated that more clarity regarding the middleweight title picture would be coming soon. Another source mentioned that the current plan is to have the middleweight title defended in the fall.
The UFC has not officially confirmed that a Du Plessis vs. Chimaev fight was ever scheduled for a specific date, and there has been no official statement about Du Plessis`s alleged injury.
Following Chimaev`s tweet, rising contender Caio Borralho has challenged Chimaev to a fight, even proposing an interim title bout.
Marcus Blakely