UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis is reported to be injured, which could rule him out of potentially headlining the upcoming UFC 317 event in Las Vegas during International Fight Week on June 28th.
According to veteran reporter Kevin Iole there was a chance a mouthwatering title showdown between du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev could have fronted the UFC 317 show, but that looks unlikely now.
“I’m hearing Dricus du Plessis is injured,” Iole wrote on his own self-titled website.
“If that’s accurate, a bout between Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev couldn’t headline [International Fight Week].”
It’s worth stressing that it appears to have only been speculation on Iole’s part that Du Plessis vs. Khamzat could have been one option they had in mind to front that show, as at the moment there’s been no official word on what they have in mind for it.
What we do know is that a little over two months until fight night, the event currently includes a flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France that will likely serve as the co-main event, while another 125lb bout between Manel Kape and Brandon Royval is also confirmed.
Given that this is one of the flagship events on the UFC’s yearly calendar they will no doubt be determined to ensure they have a high-profile main event in place, and so it’ll be interesting to see what other options they have up their sleeve.
A long awaited heavyweight title showdown between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall had long been at the top of the list of potential fights, but Jones hasn’t been in a rush to get back into the Octagon, and there has been few signs that there’s been any progress in the negotiations recently, despite Dana White’s confidence that it will happen eventually.
With that in mind the other obvious option would be to have lightweight champion and current No.1 pound-for-pound fighter Islam Makhachev defend his title against a leading contender.
A blockbuster fight against recently vacated featherweight champ Ilia Topuria is the fight everyone wants to see, but the likes of Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira are also eager to get the next shot at the title.
Whichever option they decided to go for, considering that thousands of fans from all over the globe will be flocking to Las Vegas for International Fight Week, its likely that the UFC will be eager to have a main event in place sooner rather than later.
