Khamzat Chimaev is finally going to get his chance to win UFC gold when he squares off against the indomitable middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis. For that fight, the Chechen-born star is already grinding hard in the gym with more than two months left for UFC 319. Chimaev is not only training with his team but has also decided to get some help from the legendary wrestling coach, Salim Nutsalkhanov.

For the unversed, Salim Nutsalkhanov is one of the most elite wrestling coaches ever, who trained many Olympic-level athletes, including the 3-time Olympic Gold medalist, Buvaisar Saitiev. Khamzat Chimaev recently gave us a look into his training camp on social media, as he revealed himself to be training with Nutsalkhanov to polish his already lethal wrestling game and give Dricus du Plessis a run for his money.

However, the South African star remains unfazed at the thought of fighting Khamzat Chimaev as he made it apparent that he wanted that fight ever since his UFC 312 victory over Sean Strickland in their rematch. Dricus du Plessis recently took to his Instagram, sharing a snippet from one of his training sessions, as he warned Chimaev to expect the hardest outing of his entire professional fighting career.

“I don’t care how good you think you are how tough how fit or how strong, when you step into that octagon with me it will be a first time experience and not a pleasant one, that’s a promise,” wrote Dricus du Plessis. “As we say in [South Africa], built different!! Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie [They don’t know what we know].”

Well, Dricus du Plessis has every right to be as confident as he’s shown to be, given that none of his opponents were able to find an answer to his unorthodox fighting style. And guess what? The same goes for Khamzat Chimaev, who may have had a couple of tough fights, but is still unshakeable and undefeated. Who comes out on top? That question will be answered at UFC 319.

Despite Dricus du Plessis’ confidence, the oddsmakers have a different view of his showdown against Khamzat Chimaev. He’s been listed as the underdog, as a Hall of Famer legend couldn’t seem to comprehend that fact. Here’s what he had to say.

Michael Bisping was surprised as oddsmakers list Dricus du Plessis as the underdog

One of the most popular sports wagering websites, ‘Draft Kings’, has given its verdict on how it thinks the UFC 319 headliners stand ahead of their clash in August. So, they have Khamzat Chimaev as the favorite to win the middleweight title, as Dricus du Plessis, as mentioned above already, will be heading into his third title defense as the underdog, but Michael Bisping cannot believe it because he claims ‘Stillknocks’ is the total package.

“The fact that they’ve got Dricus Du Plessis as the underdog is insane. The man can wrestle, he’s got great jiu-jitsu, he’s big for the weight class, and more importantly, he has a gas tank,” Michael Bisping recently stated on his YouTube channel. “He has had no problems going five rounds. The two times Khamzat went to a decision were when he couldn’t get the finish in the first or second round.”

Besides, odds don’t really mean much when Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev will be locked inside the Octagon. Regardless of the outcome of the fight turns out, fans can expect a guaranteed action-packed showdown between two of the most explosive fighters in the UFC right now. Who do you see taking the victory at UFC 319? Drop your comments below.