Dricus Du Plessis lands a punch on champion Sean Strickland during UFC 312 in February last year. [Getty Images]
Dricus Du Plessis lands a punch on champion Sean Strickland during UFC 312 in February last year. [Getty Images]

Dricus Du Plessis (32, South Africa), the former UFC middleweight champion who made a statement return by dominating Kamaru Usman, has called for an immediate title shot — but his wish looks unlikely to be granted anytime soon.

Du Plessis defeated Usman by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night, held Sunday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The win cemented his position at No. 2 in the rankings and strengthened his case for a title shot.

"I didn't say this win guarantees me a title shot," Du Plessis said in a post-fight interview. "But if I put on a performance like that, I should get a title shot."

The middleweight division is currently led by Sean Strickland, who claimed the belt by defeating then-champion Hamzat Chimaev in his most recent bout, with Chimaev dropping to No. 1 in the rankings. With no compelling reason to give Chimaev an immediate rematch and title fight, Du Plessis would appear to be the top contender by ranking.

Yet Du Plessis is likely to find himself pushed down the title-shot queue — paradoxically, because of his 2-0 record against Strickland. A title fight between two opponents whose head-to-head history has already established a clear winner tends to generate less interest.

UFC legend Daniel Cormier, who was on commentary for Du Plessis' comeback fight, told North American outlet MMA Junkie in a recent interview that he does not expect the UFC to pursue a third fight between Strickland and Du Plessis at this point.

"From a purely sporting standpoint, I want to see those two fight for the title again," Cormier said, "but the fact that Du Plessis has two wins over the champion — and the second one was even more one-sided — could actually work against him."

He added that fans had already watched the same matchup twice, with Du Plessis winning more convincingly the second time, and questioned whether audiences would want to see it a third time. "Even if Du Plessis had still been champion, not many people would have wanted Strickland to get another title shot either," he said.

Cormier also said Nassourdine Imavov had more than earned a title opportunity, adding that whether he actually receives one remains to be seen.

Imavov, ranked near the top of the division, is widely considered the leading candidate to challenge Strickland next. He has not competed since defeating Caio Borralho by unanimous decision at UFC Paris last September.

For that reason, observers expect Du Plessis will need to take at least one more fight before getting another title shot. Du Plessis himself has recently and publicly criticized Imavov's long absence from competition, and has floated the possibility of a title eliminator against the No. 3-ranked contender.


yjc@heraldcorp.com