Dricus du Plessis vs  Khamzat Chimaev has been officially booked for UFC 319! Now we will witness ‘Borz’ take on the seemingly chaotic and powerful middleweight champ ‘Stillknocks’ in August. Ahead of the fight, it seems like the duo is already gearing up for their fight through intense training. Dricus Du Plessis last defeated Sean Strickland at UFC 312, and ‘Borz’ gave a masterclass performance against Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, finishing him in the first round.

‘DDP’ is leaving no stone unturned in his training, preparing extensively for a grappling fest against the Chechnyan-Emirati. He even took assistance from former ONE middleweight and light heavyweight champ Reinier de Ridder, who is an exceptional grappler. And interestingly, ‘DDP’s former bitter rival Sean Strickland has come out in support of the South African against ‘Borz’ for the upcoming fight, with a certain condition, of course!

While speaking to Helen Yee, Strickland said, “They’re letting the fu–g terr–ist in. Someone like me—I’ve been training with these f—-rs for years—I usually could counter-wrestle and grapple him. I don’t know if Dricus will be able to counter-wrestle him, but if he can, I think he wins hands down. I sparred the Chechen wh–. I think Dricus wins. I’ve been training with these old te—rists forever.”

Even De Ridder admitted that Du Plessis would win the fight, and while speaking to Micke Bohn, he said the same. “I think Dricus is gonna—Dricus will win, yeah,” RDR stated. “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.” However, ex-UFC star Chael Sonnen backed the Russian previously as he questioned DDP’s ability to defend the takedowns.

Chael Sonnen doubted Dricus Du Plessis on his takedown ability

“Is he [Du Plessis] good enough to defend the takedowns of Chimaev? Let’s go further with it. Is he good enough to take Chimaev down?” Chael Sonnen asked in February this year. We know that ‘DDP’ is a chaotic fighter, and understanding his next move is not easy. However, this question is valid considering that Du Plessis recently fought Strickland (twice), Israel Adesanya, and Robert Whittaker—all known for their striking abilities. 

Now, Chimaev is adept at takedowns, ground-andpound, and submissions so the Chechen warrior might have a slight edge. On top of that, Chimaev has joined forces with Darren Till. But Uncle Chael recently decided to go backward on his prediction because he feels DDP can take on Chimaev’s grappling. He said, “Dricus, while being a slow drip, it is something that is now not only witnessed but recognized by the industry. And he did it in a very short period. And if you want to be a student of the game, the Dricus Du Plessis story is a very important one to study.” 

‘Stillknocks’ first fought at  UFC Fight Night 179 – Moraes vs. Sandhagen, back in October 2020. After 6 UFC bouts, he was given a title shot and did not disappoint as he walked away as the champ at UFC 297. Since then, he has defended his belt twice against Adesanya and Strickland successfully. So, the 31-year-old might just be able to tackle the new challenge seamlessly.

DDP is an unpredictable fighter, and just when you think you might have the upper hand, he changes the course of the fight completely. So, do you think this chaotic nature might help him win against Chimaev?