As Dricus Du Plessis prepares to defend his middleweight title at UFC 305 for the first time, two of his former opponents could be set to meet in a huge clash.
Both former champions Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland have claims to be the next in line for a title shot after Israel Adesanya.
Though Strickland believes he doesn't need to fight again to get the next opportunity, a number one contender's match-up would make a lot of sense for the division.
Having faced and defeated both men, Du Plessis finds this fight difficult to call but he did give his analysis and prediction.
Dricus Du Plessis Says Grappling Exchange Key To Whittaker vs. Strickland
Du Plessis has remained on the fence in the past when being asked about this fight because he didn't have a clear image in his head of the way that it takes place.
He spoke during a recent interview with mainevent on Fox Sports where after giving it some thought, he broke down how he sees it going.
Du Plessis said the crucial element for both men is being able to utilize their greatest strengths, whether it's the pressure of Strickland or the blitz assault from Whittaker.
He gave the bold prediction that this one could come down to who wins the grappling exchanges despite both men being known for their striking.
If this is the case, he sided with "The Reaper" to get his hand raised.
The fact that I really honestly can't say off the bat means it's gonna be a great fight. I honestly think it's going to come down to the same thing, imposing game plans. If you let Strickland walk forward like he did with Paulo Costa and like he did with Israel Adesanya, if you give him that space and that momentum, it's really really hard to take it back and it's really hard to swing that fight. So, to make sure that Rob fights his fight. If Rob can do his blitzes the way he does then I think he takes that fight. I think it comes down to a wrestling and clinch game and I think Rob wins that fight.
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