Du Plessis picks Strickland as toughest rival and explains why he didn’t choose Chimaev

Speaking on the Fight Forecast show, Du Plessis clarified why he kept Chimaev out of his toughest opponent discussion.

“Obviously, the Khamzat [Chimaev] fight was one that I lost pretty significantly, but that wasn’t a fight. That’s an obvious answer, so let’s take that one out of the equation,” he began by saying.

Instead, he pointed to Strickland, who he defeated twice, and Brad Tavares, highlighting their durability and ability to absorb damage across extended exchanges.

The former champ said: “Toughest guy has to be Brad Tavares or Sean Strickland, it just has to be. I mean, just in terms of the amount of shots they took, just kept standing.”

“I mean, Strickland takes the punches but rolls with it. Tavares took some solid shots and he just kept standing, so between the two of those.”

Dricus du Plessis still ranks Israel Adesanya as most technical opponent

Du Plessis also identified Israel Adesanya as the most technical fighter he has faced. He submitted ‘Izzy’ in a title defence in August 2024, but that has not changed his view of the middleweight legend.

“Adesanya was the best guy that I faced, just in terms of everything he did, man. His timing, the speed, the power he kicks with, even takedown defence-wise, everything. He was the best technical guy that I’ve ever faced.”

The assessment contrasts with Adesanya’s current run, having lost four consecutive fights, although he has stated he is not considering retirement.