There are three weeks left until one of the year’s most anticipated UFC title fights.
While fans didn’t get Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev or Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall, they still have a major middleweight title clash to look forward to. Dricus du Plessis will defend his belt against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on August 16th.
Du Plessis remains unbeaten in the UFC, holding a 9-0 record with notable victories over Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker, and he recently claimed a second win over Sean Strickland at UFC 312 back in February.
With a professional record of 14-0, Chimaev has rapidly established himself as one of the most formidable fighters in recent memory. He secured his title shot by dominating consecutive middleweight bouts against Whittaker and former pound-for-pound No. 1 Kamaru Usman.
Chimaev is renowned for his elite wrestling and grappling. In contrast, du Plessis employs an unconventional yet well-rounded fighting style that has proven highly effective throughout his championship reign.
No one has figured out how to stop Chimaev’s wrestling yet – most have tried to avoid it altogether. Now, a former middleweight champion is warning du Plessis not to make the same mistake the others did.
Dricus du Plessis needs to meet Khamzat Chimaev at his own game, says Michael Bisping
Chimaev is landing an average of 4.31 takedowns per UFC bout and holds a 100% takedown defense rate.
He even took Usman down four times, which raises concerns since the Nigerian star is one of the best defensive wrestlers in the sport.
Michael Bisping has an unusual perspective on du Plessis’ chances. He believes the South African star will need to wrestle with Chimaev rather than avoid it if he wants to retain his title. He said:
“Dricus du Plessis, I mean, you cannot doubt this guy. He’s not intimidated. There’s videos of Dricus du Plessis online taking on an entire Gracie Barra black belt team and submitting them all one by one.
“He’s big. He’s strong. He wrestled. He’s got great judo. He’s got knockout power. He’s had a nose job, so he’s got a great gas tank now as well.
“[Chimaev’s] going to get you down.
“Look at what he did to Usman… That’s how good Khamzat Chimaev is at wrestling. So if you try and just do everything you can to avoid him and get away and run, you’re just running away the entire time. He’s gonna get you.
“Fight him at his own game…” concluded Bisping.
Dricus du Plessis hasn’t been submitted in 11 years
Du Plessis may have an unblemished UFC record, but he’s not unfamiliar with defeat.
Back in 2018, he lost to Roberto Soldic in a KSW title rematch. He had TKO’d Soldic in their first meeting, so the series stands at one apiece.
The only time the South African has been submitted was back in August 2014, when Garreth McLellan caught him with a guillotine choke.
Chimaev, on the other hand, has twelve finishes to his name – six by knockout and six by submission. Now the world waits to see if he can hand du Plessis his first UFC loss.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
