Dricus du Plessis is keeping a close eye on UFC 318, with two high-stakes middleweight bouts lined up. While Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov takes center stage in the co-main event, the reigning 185-pound champ might actually be more interested in the prelims clash between Brendan Allen and Marvin Vettori. Why? Well, DDP might have some long-standing beef with one of those names…

The South African champion and Brendan “All In” Allen have a long history together. It all began when they trained together at Kill Cliff FC. Sharing mats didn’t really help them become friends. Not at all. As per reports available, DDP once made a joke about Allen’s tattoo, asking if ‘1:2-7’ was his MMA record. That, obviously, didn’t go down well with Allen, and in the years that followed, he didn’t shy away from criticizing Du Plessis. For instance, in February 2024, Allen openly confessed that he wasn’t impressed by DDP’s body of work:

“Some of those were lucky. Marcus Perez, (Du Plessis) was losing that fight, and (Perez) was beating him so easily that he threw a spinning back elbow at the same time that (Dricus) was throwing a body shot and hit him in the chin. I don’t think it gets any more lucky than that.” Neither of them held back from taking digs at each other online. Du Plessis even labeled Allen a “loser” on X after he lost to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night Paris. This led to a heated exchange between the two on the site.

‘Stillknocks’ hasn’t cooled off one bit when it comes to Brendan Allen! As ‘All In’ gears up to face Marvin Vettori on Dustin Poirier’s retirement card, Du Plessis once again fired shots on X. The champ made it crystal clear he’ll be rooting for ‘The Italian Dream’ in that showdown, and just to stir the pot a little more, he even dug up an old joke.

Du Plessis wrote, “@BrendanAllenMMA I’m sending you some of my luck tonight, you need it more than me, still rooting for @MarvinVettori because Brendan’s always been a d–k to me, and it seems like I was right about the tattoo.” 

The tattoo jab added serious heat to the Du Plessis and Allen’s beef. ‘James 1:2-7’ is a verse from the Bible that talks about perseverance.

The rivalry is heating up, and it will be compelling to watch if Allen challenges the champion. Currently, he is ranked #11 and might need to pick a couple of difficult wins before he can challenge his nemesis. But for now, Du Plessis also has a big challenge in front of him. At UFC 319, he is gearing up to defend his title for the third time, facing off against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. It’s a significant challenge, but ‘Stillknocks’ is building serious momentum and gaining support, particularly with a former UFC fighter backing him to deliver results.

Luke Rockhold believes Dricus du Plessis has more than a chance to defeat Khamzat Chimaev!

Khamzat Chimaev opening as almost a 2-to-1 favorite has sparked plenty of doubt among fans about whether Dricus du Plessis stands a real chance. But some seasoned fighters aren’t buying the hype. Robert Whittaker has shown strong belief in the champ’s ability to flip the script and defend his title. Additionally, Luke Rockhold also chimed in, saying if the fight goes beyond two rounds, Du Plessis could very well take over and walk out of UFC 319 with the belt intact.

Rockhold told Submission Radio in their newest episode, “I’ve trained with DDP a lot. He’s tough. He ain’t going to go away. You’ve got to dominate him from start to finish, or you’ve got to finish him early. I just don’t see how Khamzat’s going to keep that pressure. His intensity, you can only keep that for so long.”

‘Borz’ has dominated his opponents with relentless force, and his unblemished record has garnered him significant support. Yet ‘Stillknocks’ has demonstrated grit and resilience at every turn in his career. He could very well deliver Chimaev his first defeat. What do you think? Let us know your prediction in the comments below.