Dricus du Plessis' next UFC fight CONFIRMED
On Tuesday UFC owner Dana White announced that Dricus du Plessis will defend his belt against Khamzat Chimaev.
After much speculation, the fight is happening and is scheduled for August 16 in Chicago, USA.
This has been on the cards for some while. Earlier in the year, when asked about the prospect of a UFC bout against Chimaev, du Plessis told reporters, 'I think everyone has been moving backwards trying to evade that takedown,
'I'm not scared of Khamzat's wrestling. I'm not evading. I'm not trying to stay off the ground with Khamzat. That's the mistake everyone makes. I'm going to fight Khamzat wherever the fight goes.'
Du Plessis has longed for a fight on home soil, but there's a few obstacles to overcome before White will give the green light.
'The biggest problem that I see is that a UFC ticket in the T-Mobile Arena – I think the cheapest seat in that arena is $300. So that's R6000. The ringside seat, where the fighters walk out, is $45 000. That's R900 000,' Du Plessis explained on the Sias du Plessis Show.
'So let's say we get an arena, we have a 14 000 seater, we definitely have that. But the prices are going to be… we don't have that kind of money,' the UFC champion continued.
'Where are you going to get 14 000 people where the cheapest seat in the back is probably R10 000? That's the biggest problem we have, and that's why they need to make it big.'
'[Hosting UFC Africa] is my dream, it's South Africa's dream, but the UFC's dream is making money. They're a business. They want to make it happen; they just need to find out how it's viable.'
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
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