If Whittaker took Du Plessis down, 'salam alaikum'

ABU DHABI – Khamzat Chimaev has no doubt he would slice through UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis on the ground.

Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) quickly submitted Robert Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) with a face crank in the first round of their middleweight bout Saturday, which co-headlined UFC 308 at Etihad Arena.

Two weeks ago, UFC CEO Dana White said Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2 is next. He refused to commit to his initial plans during the post-fight news conference, and Chimaev is ready to slide in for a title shot if the UFC grants him the opportunity.

“It doesn’t matter Sean or Dricus, just going for the gold,” Chimaev told reporters, including MMA Junkie at the UFC 308 post-fight news conference. “So we’ll see what happens next. I’m ready.”

When asked about Du Plessis’ grappling, Chimaev quickly dismissed it.

“How I did with this guy, Rob, and how he done?” Chimaev said. “Rob took him down, so if Rob took him down, there is salam alaikum (against me).”

If not a title shot, Chimaev said he’d be down to fight former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

“For me, Adesanya would be a good money fight because he has a big name,” Chimaev said. “Sean Strickland, we’ve been in the gym. We have some stuff not done yet, so that would be good history as well.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.