Dricus Du Plessis: South African Fighter Should Face Sean Strickland for UFC Middleweight Title Next

• Dricus du Plessis was next in line to challenge Israel Adesanya for the title before he suffered an injury
• Sean Strickland has no shortage of challengers for the Middleweight strap but should face du Plessis
• Khamzat Chimaev earned a title shot by beating Kamaru Usman but possibly broke his hand in the fight

Who will challenge Sean Strickland for the UFC Middleweight title next?

The American fighter won the title when he beat Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, shocking the world.

While the Middleweight division has no shortage of challengers, only one person should get a crack at Strickland: Dricus du Plessis.

According to the latest UFC rankings, du Plessis is the number two-ranked Middleweight, with only Adesanya above him. The former champion has indicated that he will be stepping away from the fight game for a long time to give his body a break.

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Why du Plessis should be next

With the Nigerian-born New Zealander out of contention, du Plessis is next in line according to the rankings. Undefeated in the UFC, the South African was scheduled to face Adesanya at UFC 293 for the belt but was ruled out of the contest due to an injury.

Strickland then stepped up as a replacement and won the title.

Adesanya and du Plessis’ rivalry

Stillknocks and Adesanya were both eager to face off against each other, as they had a lot of bad blood to settle.

After du Plessis beat Robert Whittaker to earn a shot at the former champ, Adesanya entered the ring and launched a scathing verbal attack on the South African, setting up a title match between two men who really wanted to beat the other.

How White has punished du Plessis

Sadly, a foot injury forced du Plessis to pull out of the scheduled title fight only a few months after his last bout.

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As noted by MMA Junkie, UFC boss Dana White was unhappy with the South African’s decision not to fight in Sydney and criticised him because he was unable to fight Adesanya for the belt.

Du Plessis is seemingly being punished for that and hasn’t been mentioned as a possible contender for the belt despite earning a shot.

Instead, a fight was made between Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman for the number one contender spot at UFC 294.

Why not Chimaev?

Chimaev and Usman, both Welterweights, moved up a division to fight for the belt, with the United Arab Emirates star coming out victorious.

As noted by SherDog, Chimaev believes that he broke his hand during round one of that fight and, therefore, may not be able to challenge for the tile until he is fully healed.

Du Plessis wasn’t given a chance to heal from injury to get his title shot, so it will be interesting to see how much time the UFC provides Chimaev before they move on.

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How du Plessis reacted to Chimaev’s victory

The South African was less than impressed with Chimaev’s victory over Usman, stating that he could have done a better job. Taking to social media after the bout, he posted a five-word post, signalling his intent to reclaim his rightful shot at the belt.

Du Plessis fires shot at Adesanya

In September, Sports Brief reported how du Plessis wasn’t done with Adesanya just yet.

The South African and Nigerian-born fighters have been embroiled in a bitter rivalry for months and were due to settle their beef for the Middleweight belt.

Du Plessis was the number one ranked fighter in the division, while Adesanya was the champion. An injury to du Plessis derailed their scheduled bout for UFC 293 before Sean Strickland shocked the world.