UFC 312

“We have to give credit to Dricus,” Bisping said on TNT Sports’ Fight Week. “If Dricus wasn’t so effective, wasn’t so dangerous, we would’ve seen more from Sean.

“One thing you can say about Khamzat is, does he have a gas tank to do three high-volume rounds, never mind five championship rounds? Now we’re talking about a champion that thrives on distance, that has got the most incredible gas tank – he can push the pace, and that seems to be the antidote to what Khamzat does.

“We know about the [Kamaru] Usman fight and the Gilbert Burns fight, but other than that he has just ragdolled everybody.

Nick Peet weighed in on the debate, suggesting Du Plessis’s stamina could give him the edge over Chimaev.

“The reality is, Dricus is going to be a tough man to beat.”

“There’s two sides to a fight. I’m just trying to give Sean a little bit of credit because Dricus is that guy; he’s big, he’s strong, he’s dangerous, he’s well-rounded, and he’s getting better and better.

And Bisping has predicted there will be more to come from Du Plessis, whose next opponent will be the subject of much discussion in the coming weeks.

Asked if a clash between Chimaev and Du Plessis would be considered the biggest in UFC, Bisping said: “I would probably say yes. There’s just something about Khamzat Chimaev, he has this aura to him. Marketing wise, if you were to market a superstar, a bad guy, a real life Bond villain, and then combine him with ridiculously capable skills – being able to crush the teeth of Robert Whittaker in the first round and just dominate everybody.

“It would be incredible,” Peet said. “As good as Khamzat has been, there’s also been glitches in the matrix. Another round against Kamaru Usman and he probably loses that fight. Gilbert Burns pushed him right to the wire.

“That is a big, big fight. Is it the biggest? I’d have to look at the division or the rankings but it’s certainly up there. Alex Pereira involved in anything will always be big now, Ilia Topuria is always going to be big, but that would be a hot contender for sure.”

Looking ahead to Du Plessis’s list of potential future opponents, Bisping added: “The man has a lot of opportunities now: there’s Khamzat Chimaev, there’s Alex Pereira, Nassourdine Imavov, who just beat Israel Adesanya – he’ll be in discussions as well.

“Then there’s Dricus Du Plessis who’s the champion now, who’s had a lot of attention, who’s defended the belt on a couple of occasions, has a whole nation behind him, and they don’t like each other either.

Michael Bisping has heaped praise on Dricus Du Plessis after the South African beat Sean Strickland by unanimous decision in the main event at UFC 312.

“Wherever that fight goes, it is an absolute blockbuster fight. But after watching Dricus [against Strickland], I have to fancy Dricus against any 185er on the planet right now. He’s that good and I think he could even be getting better.”

“The man is a monster in the UFC Octagon.”