"The consistency isn't there" - Dricus du Plessis gets honest about state of UFC middleweight division, shares ideal return timeline

Dricus du Plessis recently shared his thoughts on the current state of the UFC middleweight division, questioning the consistency of the fighters. 'Stillknocks' also shared a potential timeline for his return to action.

Chimaev beat du Plessis via a dominant unanimous decision at UFC 319 in August and took home the 185-pound championship. Later, Nassourdine Imavov beat Caio Borralho at UFC Paris in September and called for a title shot against Chimaev, which the Chechen-born fighter accepted.

In a recent interview with Fight Forecast, du Plessis shared a bold prediction for the Chimaev-Imavov clash and shared his thoughts on the 185-pound division. He said:

"Imavov is getting the title shot. I think that's the only thing that really makes sense now... I think it's going to be an interesting fight, I think Khamzat wins that fight, for sure. The whole division has been mixed up... Right now, you don’t have anybody who’s consistently winning. That’s the problem. How do you pick a contender if you have guys that fight two great fights and one terrible one? The consistency isn’t there."

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Speaking about when fans could see him in action again, du Plessis said:

"I spoke to the UFC, first quarter of next year would be good... End of March, beginning of April, perfect."

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Dricus du Plessis dismisses potential fight against "idiot" Brendan Allen

In the same interview, Dricus du Plessis shared his thoughts on a potential fight against Brendan Allen.

Allen beat Reinier de Ridder via fourth-round TKO at UFC Vancouver in October and named du Plessis as his next potential opponent. Before de Ridder, Allen notably outpointed Marvin Vettori over three rounds at UFC 318 in July.

While some believe that a du Plessis-Allen fight would be an entertaining affair, the South African fighter isn't interested in giving the American that opportunity. Dismissing Allen's callout, du Plessis said:

"Listen, you win two fights in a row, don’t come calling out former champions... I mean, I would love to smash his face in. I would absolutely love it. He's such an idiot. I would love it. But to be honest with you, as a champion, you pick guys, but I only pick the best guy. I always want to fight the best next guy." [H/t: MMA Fighting]

Edited by Nishant Zende.