Robert Whittaker expects Dricus Du Plessis to still be UFC middleweight champion when he contends for the title again.
Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) notched his first title defense with a submission of Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in August. He is expected to run things back with Sean Strickland next.
Du Plessis edged out Strickland to capture the middleweight title at UFC 297, a fight Strickland is adamant he won. If Strickland gets his wish of rematching Du Plessis, Whittaker thinks he’ll fall short again.
“Mate, I think Dricus still,” Whittaker told Submission Radio. “Like Dricus is a hard fight. He just has that insane pressure and willingness to get hit to land hits, and he wins that fight a lot of the time. I think he’s a hard fight for a lot of people.”
Whittaker meets Khamzat Chimaev in a pivotal 185-pound clash Oct. 26 at UFC 308. His most recent loss came to Du Plessis by TKO at UFC 290, and the former champion hopes he can get another crack at Du Plessis with a win.
So what will it take to beat Du Plessis in the octagon? Whittaker says matching his intensity.
“It’s like you need to take the fight to him for 25 minutes,” Whittaker explained. “You cannot give him any space, you cannot let him in, you cannot give him opportunity, you cannot relax, you cannot sit on your laurels. You need to be wired on, locked in for 25 minutes.”
