UFC 319 fight week begins, and former champions are giving their thoughts on the middleweight main event.
Dricus Du Plessis makes his third defence of his UFC middleweight crown against top contender Khamzat Chimaev in Chicago.
Fans are expecting an enthralling bout in the Octagon with the quick finish ability of the Chechen meshing with the awkward MMA style of ‘Stillknocks’.
‘The Wolf’s’ intelligent training, according to a former star, with Arman Tsarukyan, will make the fight interesting, but questions have been raised about his cardio in the build-up after struggling in previous fights over the distance.
Former UFC champion provides his Dricus Du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev prediction
It is likely Du Plessis will be favoured over the distance, but he thinks he will be able to approach Khamzat in the first round head-on to cause ‘chaos’.
While UFC legends have backed Chimaev to beat the South African, one former middleweight champion is unsure if he will be able to pull off the win.
Following Fight Night in Vegas, on the ESPN post-show, ex-champion Chris Weidman praised ‘Borz’ for his abilities early in the fight but stopped short of a win.
Weidman said: “Chimaev, he is that guy. He is the boogeyman for a reason. I think he’s got to finish him in the first couple of rounds because I don’t see him winning a decision.
“Dricus is just too much. He’s all over the place, it’s hard to track him down. You do not want to be tired against that guy going into the fifth round. He hasn’t had that experience yet.”
While he may have six finishes in eight fights, he has only been to the third round twice, making his main event title challenge his first-ever time fighting the championship distance.
‘The All-American’ was more sold on the skills of the current champion to not only win the bout but make the challenger feel ‘uncomfortable’.
“I’m going Dricus later (in the fight) because I’m a genius,” he laughed.
“I think DDP does a great job of making people uncomfortable.
“A lot of times, what makes you comfortable is having experience being in there in these five-round fights, and Chimaev doesn’t have that.”
Dricus Du Plessis is not ‘excited’ by other challengers in the UFC middleweight division
While he still needs to get the win on Saturday, Dricus has been questioned on who he would prefer to face next.
After Reinier de Ridder’s close win over Robert Whittaker and Anthony Hernandez’s nasty fourth-round choke out of Roman Dolidze, the division is heating up.
While many challengers will rear their heads after the result is confirmed, Du Plessis is not sure any of the ranked contenders are deserving.
Speaking to SHAK MMA, he said: “He (de Ridder) has a way to go still, you know, Robert Whittaker beating him right now doesn’t earn you a title shot.
“The winner between (Nassourdine) Imavov, he has put in some work, and Caio Borralho, I rate him, I think he’s a really good fighter. I do think Borralho beats Imavov.
“(But) Neither one of those fights really gets me excited right now. I’m fighting Khamzat Chimaev next weekend. That’s the only thing that gets me excited right now.”
The UFC Paris main event between Imavov and Borralho could decide the next contender, but they will have to impress the champion if they want a title fight.