Du Plessis: Chimaev fight is happening ‘in the next four months’

Dricus du Plessis doesn’t quite have a date locked in for his long-awaited fight against Khamzat Chimaev, but he wants fans to know it’s going to be announced any day now.

We last saw du Plessis compete back in February when he earned an easy win over Sean Strickland in Australia. Chimaev said he’d be there to watch, but the Chechen fighter never showed. Is he still having issues entering certain countries despite holding a shiny new U.A.E. passport?

As far as “Stillknocks” is concerned, he’ll fight “Borz” any time, any where.

“So … we have a date,” du Plessis said on the Sias du Plessis Show (no relation) before clarifying. “We have the potential of two dates. I already agreed to both. A lot of people asking if it’s this year. Yes. One hundred percent. It’s not that far away. The announcement will be made soon.”

“Me and the UFC, we’ve known this all [along],” he continued. “All these rumors that came out about injuries, I don’t know where they came from. It was ridiculous. I was like, okay, I just left it for like a week and I was like, ‘Everybody had their fun. Now you’re all gonna look stupid.’”

“We’ve already agreed on a date, and that’s been a while ago. So I’m just waiting for the contract, but that’s the fight that’s happening. It’s gonna be happening in the next couple of months, maximum four months. It’s gonna happen one of these days.”

“Nothing’s signed, but I’ve already agreed to any date,” he concluded. “Any date that they gave me, I said, ‘Cool. Ready. Let’s do it.’”

And if Chimaev pulls out again like he has so many times over the past few years?

“Those are the kind of forces that don’t bother me,” du Plessis said. “I try not to be concerned about things that I have no control over. UFC always finds a plan. I don’t prepare for Khamzat. I prepare to be the best Dricus. So after that, if he pulls out fight week, UFC will get somebody else. There’s a lot of contenders right now. And whoever they put in there, I’ll be ready for them.”