Dricus Du Plessis’ coach rules Sean Strickland out of the title race.
Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) lost his title to Du Plessis by split decision at UFC 297 in January – a fight he’s adamant he won. Strickland then rebounded with a decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June, and said he won’t fight again unless it’s for a title.
Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) submitted Israel Adesanya to notch his first title defense at UFC 305 in August. His coach Morne Visser revealed that the plan is to return February in Sydney, but not against Strickland. He thinks if Robert Whittaker gets past Khamzat Chimaev Oct. 26 at UFC 308, he’s next.
“I had a conversation actually yesterday with Dricus, and I said to him, ‘There’s only one thing for certain at this stage, only one thing, and that’s that we’ve got to be ready to fight in Sydney in February,'” Visser told Submission Radio. “My opinion is Sean’s overselling it.
“He’s just had one win after Dricus and that was against Costa. Whittaker had two, and I think he’s going to go for No. 3 now. So I think my honest opinion is that next for us in line will be Whittaker in Sydney in February. I think he’s going to beat Khamzat, and I honestly think that they’re going to give him the shot.”
If Chimaev remains unbeaten against Whittaker, then Visser says that could be a potential fight for Du Plessis, but likely at a different date.
“Even if you think about it, that there’s even a slight possibility that if Khamzat beats Rob, that Dricus has fought and beaten Sean and Rob,” Visser said. “So if Khamzat beats Rob, I think they’re going to play their cards a little bit different and we’re going to fight Khamzat later. But so far, the only thing that’s confirmed is we will be fighting in February in Sydney.”
