UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis has spoken out about the division's undefeated prospect Khamzat Chimaev.
Chimaev was scheduled to fight Robert Whittaker on June 22 at UFC on ABC 6 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but withdrew a week before the fight due to health issues. He was replaced by Ikram Aliskerom and lost by knockout in the first round.
"I would love to fight Hamzat. He is undefeated and at one point was the symbol of our division. To be honest, I was disappointed that he got off the fight against Robert, although I wasn't surprised.
Right now any talk of his chances of fighting for the title is meaningless. He hasn't beaten a single ranked middleweight. So there's no point in discussing him as a contender. It's a waste of time. Until Hamzat proves that he deserves a title shot, it's pointless to talk about it," Bloody Elbow quoted Du Plessis as saying.
