JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Dricus du Plessis Dismisses Islam Makhachev’s Wish to Move up in Weight Citing Conor McGregor’s Example
Dricus du Plessis dismisses Islam Makhachev's desire to move up in weight, citing Conor McGregor's struggles as a reason against such a move.
Dricus du Plessis is not on board with the idea of Islam Makhachev becoming a double champion. Ahead of UFC 304, the lightweight champion expressed interest in moving up to the welterweight division to pursue a second title. However, after his friend Belal Muhammad won the welterweight gold from Leon Edwards, Makhachev seems to be bypassing that division. Instead, he has set his sights on the middleweight title with ample support from Belal Muhammad.
Dricus du Plessis has a different perspective. In a recent exclusive interview with Kevin Iole, du Plessis stated that moving up to a heavier weight class and capturing the belt is not everyone’s cup of tea. ‘Stillknocks’ referenced Conor McGregor, saying, “People win a belt, and they immediately go, ‘I want to be double [champion],’ but you’re not Conor McGregor… He was the first to do it, and he did it in spectacular fashion. He was the trendsetter, the pioneer in doing that, and everyone tries to be like that – that’s not the case here.”
Du Plessis laughed off the possibility, stating that dreaming big is fine, but in this case, Makhachev has stretched his dream too far. He went on to say that before considering a move to any other division, the Dagestani fighter must clear out his entire division. Namedropping Arman Tsarukyan, Du Plessis mentioned that the fight would not be an easy one for Makhachev to get through.
Meanwhile, Du Plessis himself faces a huge task at the moment. Defending his UFC middleweight belt for the first time, the South African will face the challenge of Israel Adesanya. The fighters have significant bad blood, which can be traced back to UFC 290. When Du Plessis claimed to be the first "real African champion," the statement did not sit well with Adesanya. He immediately lashed out at the South African and accused du Plessis of having a colonial mindset.
Adesanya further claimed that Dricus du Plessis had insulted the previous African champions by claiming himself as the first one. Previously, the likes of Kamaru Usman, Francis Ngannou, and Adesanya himself had held the honor of being an UFC champion. Thus, with the rivalry getting heated with each passing day, their upcoming bout will surely be a banger.
