Dricus du Plessis title defence on hold following injury rumours?

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans worldwide may need to wait even longer before they get to see South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis step into the octagon again.

Various reports have surfaced over the weekend the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title holder is injured and his much-anticipated title defence in International Fight Week has been put on ice for now.

DDP was hotly tipped to put his title on the line for a third time against Russian wrestler Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 317 on 28 June in Las Vegas.

The social media banter between the two has been gaining momentum ever since Du Plessis retained his title against American Sean Strickland in February.

Although the fight has not yet officially been announced by the UFC, this bout was the hot favourite to headline the biggest event on the MMA calendar.

And now that announcement could have cold water poured over it even before it gets made public.

Longtime combat sports reporter Kevin Iole on Friday reported that Du Plessis is injured and won’t be available to fight at the T-Mobile Arena.

Injured or not?

Chimaev certainly didn’t believe the report. Taking to social media, Chimaev dismissed the rumours by writing, “This guy biggest bulls***.”

His four-word reaction shows he isn’t convinced by the talk of Du Plessis’ injury, possibly hinting that he believes the champion is avoiding the fight or trying to create unnecessary controversy.

This drama is nothing new for the Russian. Even with an undefeated record, he has faced several delays due to injuries, flight cancellations, and weight issues. His dominant victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 seemed to place him next in line for a title shot, but now uncertainty has started to loom again.

Nothing has been officially announced by the UFC or the Du Plessis camp whether the champion is in fact injured or what the extent of the injury is, if this rumor turns out to be true.

No doubt an official announcement will be made in the coming days — be it the sad news of a DDP injury or the great news of Du Plessis taking on Chimaev being made official for International Fight Week.