It is finally happening! At long last, Khamzat Chimaev is finally set to fight Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title in August. The middleweight titans will clash at UFC 319 at the United Center in Chicago, in a fight that is the most intriguing matchup in the entire sport at the moment. Currently, the middleweight division is getting interesting again, with a line of contenders, veterans, and up-and-comers in the mix. But as of now, all eyes are on the marquee clash between the South African champion and the Russian-Emirati #3-ranked middleweight contender.
And somewhat surprisingly, ‘Borz’ has opened as the betting favorite for the clash on most oddsmakers’ cards. Chimaev, after all, is undefeated and looks nigh unbeatable, having broken the legendary Robert Whittaker‘s teeth in the very first round of their UFC 308 clash last year. However, many in the MMA world, including surging middleweight star Reinier de Ridder feel that the bookmakers have it wrong.
“I think Dricus is gonna—Dricus will win, yeah,” ‘RDR’ stated bluntly in a recent interview with Mike Bohn. “I don’t think Khamzat will get him out of there early ‘cuz Dricus is a motherf—-r, he keeps going and every round… he gets better every round. I see Dricus, like finishing him in the late rounds– like fourth round, fifth round maybe with a lot of volume.”
Indeed, most think that the best chance Chimaev has of beating Du Plessis would be a quick submission. But would ‘Borz’ be able to do that against the indefatigable, strong-as-a-bull Du Plessis? De Ridder doesn’t think so. But to be fair, the former ONE champion doesn’t see Chimaev going down without a fight, and feels that the Chechnya native will land at least one successful takedown on ‘DDP’.
“I see Khamzat maybe taking him down in the first, second round, getting to his back maybe. I don’t know, I think Dricus has a good shot,” the Dutch middleweight star said. It’ll be quite interesting to see how Khamzat Chimaev fares against the “plot armor” du Plessis apparently has, considering ‘Borz’ struggled against the likes of Kamaru Usman at middleweight despite winning. Furthermore, Whittaker tapped to his teeth breaking, a condition he’s had since he was a child, and not a fully sunk in choke.
April 9, 2022, Jacksonville, Florida, JACKSONVILLE, FL, United States: JACKSONVILLE, FL – April 9: R-L Khamzat Chimaev punches Gilbert Burns in their welterweight bout at Vystar Memorial Arena for UFC 273: Volkanovski v The Korean event on April 9, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Jacksonville, Florida United States – ZUMAp175 20220409_zsa_p175_221 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
But let’s not mince words here. Chimaev found a new form before entering the Octagon with Robert Whittaker. He symbolized a calm storm, reminiscent of someone who cocooned only to emerge into their final, terrifying form before UFC 308. So, for du Plessis as well, “plot armor” or not, Chimaev will bring him perhaps his toughest test. But what does ‘Stillknocks’ think about this matchup? Cool as a cucumber and calculated with his words, he delivered a cold verdict.
Dricus Du Plessis explains why he beats Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev has surprisingly not said much about the Dricus Du Plessis title clash. But one imagines ‘Borz’ is confident and self-assured as always. On the other hand, the champ has been very vocal about the holes he sees in Chimaev’s game, especially against the guys at the top of the division.
“If you look at a guy like Kamaru Usman, what he did with Khamzat on 10 days’ notice. You look at Gilbert Burns—those guys don’t get intimidated by people screaming, ‘I smesh, I smesh!’ on the microphone after missing weight. That is not how it works. Guys like Gilbert Burns, Kamaru Usman and Robert Whitaker don’t get intimidated by that,” Du Plessis said of Chimaev’s aura.
“In those fights with Gilbert and Usman, we saw him. We saw what those guys were able to do. Those were smaller guys. I don’t believe that [there’s an invincible aura around Chimaev]. I don’t believe, at this level, there’s any intimidation. I don’t believe it,” ‘DDP’ added.
Kamaru Usman moved up to middleweight and fought Chimaev on short notice at UFC 294 in 2023. While ‘Borz’ absolutely dominated the first round, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ came back in the second and dictated the third. While Chimaev eked through a majority decision, Usman had given him a hell of a fight.
Gilbert Burns, too, had managed to take the undefeated middleweight to deep waters as Chimaev got drawn into a striking match with ‘Durinho’ at their UFC 273 clash. And Du Plessis feels that these are clear holes in Chimaev’s game that he could exploit. While we will have to wait until August 17 for the result of their super-fight, ‘DDP’ is absolutely confident. What do you think about ‘RDR’s take on the Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev matchup?
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