When Dricus du Plessis returns, it will be for his first fight as a UFC middleweight contender since 2023.
This past Saturday, Du Plessis topped a pay-per-view lineup for the fourth time in a row. He arrived in Chicago 3-0 in that category, having defeated Sean Strickland twice and Israel Adesanya in numbered event headliners.
But that undefeated run and his perfect promotional record is no more after what unfolded at UFC 319. Du Plessis was dominated by Khamzat Chimaev, who racked up over 21 minutes of control time and a record 529 strikes en route to a lopsided decision.
After the card at the United Center, much of the focus has been on what lies ahead for the newly crowned middleweight king. But an ex-UFC star recently pondered the future of the now-former champion.
Dan Hardy pitches Anthony Hernandez as the next opponent for Dricus du Plessis
Despite being one of the promotion’s longest-reigning active champions prior to UFC 319, the one-sided nature of Du Plessis’ loss to Chimaev would seem to have taken an immediate rematch off the table.
With that in mind, ‘Borz’ is likely looking at other contenders, chief among them being Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho. The pair will meet in the UFC Paris main event, a fight Chimaev says is “for sure” a title eliminator.
If the winner does get the next shot, that would leave a couple of other top contenders mulling their next moves in Reinier de Ridder and Anthony Hernandez.
Former welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy pointed to the latter as the perfect opponent for Du Plessis’ first fight after losing the title in a lackluster affair at UFC 319.
“Hernandez, maybe that’s the right next step for (Du Plessis) and ‘Fluffy’,” Hardy said during an appearance on Submission Radio.
“I think the scrambling ability of Du Plessis would be more problematic for Hernandez’s style. I also think Hernandez would be way more willing to scrap on the feet.
“It would be a fun five-rounder if they could get it over five rounds,” Hardy added.
“Hernandez is probably a good pick. He’s on his way up. (Put him against) a former champion, see if he is ready.”
Anthony Hernandez thinks he can ‘drown’ Khamzat Chimaev
While beating Du Plessis would certainly go a long way to securing Hernandez a first title shot, ‘Fluffy’ has been staking his claim for an immediate opportunity.
After a front-row view of the UFC 319 main event, Hernandez called for the Chimaev fight. Far from being put off by the new champ’s dominance in Chicago, the American claimed he could “drown” Chimaev with his renowned cardio.
“Congratulations to him, it was a pretty f—— boring fight, not gonna lie,” Hernandez told ESPN Deportes. “But man, call me for the fight.
“I can wrestle, I can do jiu-jitsu, I can stop all the s— and I can shut him down, and with my gas tank man, I’ll drown him, I promise.”
Hernandez has won eight fights in a row to put himself in title contention, most recently in dominant fashion against Roman Dolidze in their Apex main event earlier this month.