Islam Makhachev explains why he could dethrone Dricus du Plessis after middleweight champ’s ‘overpowering’ comments

The war of words between UFC champions Islam Makhachev and Dricus du Plessis is beginning to pick up steam. Dricus du Plessis brutally shut down Islam Makhachev ‘s potential pursuit of championships in three divisions ahead of his UFC 312 return to the Octagon. After Makhachev teased a potential clash with du Plessis at middleweight, it didn’t take long for the middleweight titleholder to dismiss his chances.

Du Plessis will face Sean Strickland in the UFC 312 main event next month in Sydney. It’s one of the biggest fights in middleweight history and a rematch of their UFC 297 instant classic last year. If du Plessis can get past Strickland again, a fight with the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev is likely on tap for the middleweight champion.



But Makhachev could potentially interrupt that notion if he’s serious about a move to middleweight following his UFC 311 victory over Renato Moicano. Despite du Plessis’s claims that he would ‘overpower’ Makhachev inside the Octagon, Makhachev remains insistent he would get the better of du Plessis, despite being at a size disadvantage. READ MORE: Israel Adesanya ‘styled’ on a UFC legend in last non-title fight ahead of UFC Riyadh Islam Makhachev hits back at detractors of possible middleweight jump In a recent interview with Ushatayka , Makhachev detailed why he’s confident in a middleweight move.

“My height allows it,” Makhachev said. “I think my physical [attributes] allow it too. I just need to work with my specialists, gain muscle mass, add a little weight.

I think I can try. “As I already said at the press conference after the fight, if they offered it to me tomorrow and said they will give me time, I would not turn it down. I would 100 percent agree to fight at middleweight.

I’m not saying that I have a better chance, that I can 100 percent finish Du Plessis, but watching his fights, watching his style, I think I have the keys to victory.” A major reason for Makhachev’s recent middleweight teases is that his teammate, Belal Muhammad, holds the UFC welterweight title. Makhachev and Muhammad express apprehension in facing one another when the topic is brought up by fans and media.

Makhachev has competed at lightweight for his entire career absent two catchweight bouts. A move to middleweight would likely take Makhachev months to do correctly, similar to what Jon Jones did for his move from light heavyweight to heavyweight . READ MORE: ‘A easier fight?’.

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C. run-in Islam Makhachev vs. Dricus du Plessis fight talks ramp up First thing’s first for du Plessis as he attempts to bring finality to his feud with Strickland.

In their first fight, du Plessis squeaked out a split-decision victory amidst an ongoing 10-fight winning streak. Before defeating Moicano, Makhachev successfully defended the UFC lightweight title against Dustin Poirier and Alexander Volkanovski (twice). He was originally supposed to face Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 before Tsarukyan withdrew on hours’ notice due to a back injury.

Makhachev and du Plessis likely won’t face each other anytime soon, but their recent jabs open a potential window for an unprecedented champion vs. champion super fight. READ MORE: Bec Rawlings returns with impressive BKFC victory to snap lengthy losing streak.