There’s a reason Dricus Du Plessis is an anomaly in the UFC. His awkward fighting style? Obviously. His no-holds-barred trash talk? Of course. But above all, it’s his willingness to run headfirst into tough challenges. The man wants Khamzat Chimaev! Most fighters would not want to be within shooting distance of the Chechen star for fear of his wrestling. But for the UFC middleweight champion, it’s a bubble waiting to be burst. So, it was only rightful that the only other middleweight anomaly to grace the UFC, Yoel Romero, gave him his props.
Do you remember Khamzat Chimaev’s performance against Robert Whittaker at UFC 308? Despite coming out of violent illness, the Chechen Wolf absolutely dominated the Octagon against ‘The Reaper’. Not only that, he even managed to dislocate Whittaker’s teeth with a face crank. Yet, Joe Rogan seemed to back DDP. Following his performance against Sean Strickland at UFC 312, Rogan acknowledged the strength he carried. And now, Yoel Romero, who doesn’t often praise fighters, has come forth to glorify Du Plessis, subtly putting Chimaev on alert.
In a recent conversation with Submission Radio, the Cuban fighter expressed his views on the middleweight champion. Romero said, “Du Plessis is a very intelligent guy. I think the most danger for him is intelligence. He’s very intelligent when he fights, he have a good strategy. The mentality for him is very good. He’s very good.” Currently on an 11-fight win streak, ‘Stillknocks’ has defeated the likes of Israel Adesanya, Strickland, and Whittaker. On top of that, he takes immense pride in his grappling skills. After all, he managed to submit all 5 members of the Gracie Barra team at a Submission Kings Quintet event. We know that Chimaev’s greatest weapon is his wrestling. But there was a viral video where DDP tackled multiple opponents in a grappling match at once. Chimaev will definitely have to be wary of him now.
But can you recall what the JRE host had to say about DDP’s strength? It was indeed following the events of UFC 312, where Rogan believed that things shifted in the South African’s favor after he smashed Strickland’s nose. Well, he did break ‘Tarzan’s nose in 6 different spots. Weighing in on his performance, the 57-year-old said, “He’s a tough puzzle to figure out. A very tough fight to figure out – he’s a big f—– for 185lbs too. That’s a big f—–. He did a really good job of setting up, throwing that low kick, switch kick to the body, and kept that pace up for the entire five [rounds]. He keeps getting better.”
But even though Dricus Du Plessis had so much praise mounting up for him, he couldn’t really receive a win against Khamzat Chimaev according to Romero. What made Romero choose ‘Borz’ for the win even after hyping up DDP’s tactical strength? Let’s take a look at what the 47-year-old star had to say.
Yoel Romero predicts the outcome of Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev
During the interview with Submission Radio, ‘The Soldier Of God’ revealed his opinion on the next big middleweight matchup. He said, “It’s very difficult, but 60-40 Chimaev. 60 percent for Chimaev, 40 percent for du Plessis. Wrestling…the wrestling for Chimaev right now is very, very dangerous. It’s Olympic level.” Needless to say, Romero wasn’t the only one who talked in favor of the undefeated middleweight contender. The newly crowned welterweight champion Belal Muhammad also believed that Chimaev would be the one rising victorious.
In a conversation with MMA Junkie not too long ago, ‘Remember The Name’ claimed that even he could take DDP’s shots and walk through them with ease. And as far as his stance against Chimaev was concerned, Muhammad didn’t really believe that he could win. He claimed, “He’s got a tough test in front of him with Khamzat. I don’t think he’s gonna get past Khamzat. But maybe I still go up there anyway to smack him around, right?”
While speculations are flying wild, Dana White and Co. are yet to schedule the fight between Du Plessis and Chimaev. And only when the middleweight stars lock horns with each other in the Octagon, can we know who’s truly the better and stronger fighter. And till then, we need to wait and watch the story unfold.
What are your thoughts on the matchup between DDP and ‘Borz’? Do you think ‘Stillknocks’ has any chance of winning against Chimaev? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post After Joe Rogan’s Support, Dricus Du Plessis Gets Another Rare Praise From UFC Veteran Before Potential Khamzat Chimaev Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.