Khamzat Chimaev predicted to be ‘clueless’ against Dricus Du Plessis, according to UFC analyst
Khamzat Chimaev and his explosive pace could be an easy read for UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis after UFC 312.
Follow Us
Khamzat Chimaev warned of battle pace against Dricus Du Plessis, after UFC 312 (Source: IMAGO/X)
It’s hard to be one of the greats in the UFC middleweight division when the bar is so high. One man who is trying to make his own is current UFC middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis. The Afrikaner is well on his way to making the case as 185-pound GOAT in the current era. After UFC 312, Du Plessis is truly undeniable. However, he has the Khamzat Chimaev stiff test ahead.
The legacies of Anderson Silva, Israel Adesanya, and Chris Weidman ranks ahead if DDP right now. Du Plessis recently swiped out Sean Strickland at UFC 312 PPV main event. With several marquee wins and two title defenses, he’s the ‘it’ man at 185. However, the Chechen “Borz” remains. Some minds though think it’s the other way around, where Khamzat Chimaev is in for a tough night against DDP.
I think Khamzat is a sprinter. I think if you were to make fights one 5-minute round, Khamzat beats anybody in the world — Any weight class… But you can’t fight championship-level fights for 5 rounds at the pace where he’s at his best…I think Dricus is so durable and he’s so smart that he’ll be able to withstand that. Now, they’re swimming in deep water and Khamzat can’t swim that deep.
Din Thomas on “The Ariel Helwani Show” for ‘Uncrowned’ Combat
Khamzat Chimaev recently defeated Robert Whittaker via submission (face crank) at UFC 308. DDP faces a stiff test in the first round against Chimaev in a potential fight. After all, Chimaev suffers from the Chechneya version of ‘Tom Aspinall‘ syndrome where his domination does not warrant more rounds but also does not build experience.
"Khamzat is a sprinter… You can't fight championship level fights for 5 rounds at the pace where he's at his best.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 10, 2025
I think Dricus is so durable and he's so smart that he'll be able to withstand that. Now they're swimming in deep water and Khamzat can't swim that deep."
Din… pic.twitter.com/8IGlfdcEYf
However, unlike the Brit champ, Khamzat Chimaev has had degrading camp conditions and terrible illness. Due to this, he has gassed out in more frames. Meanwhile, Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) stood among middleweight great Izzy and even submitted him last August at UFC 305. Hence, it could be a tough night at the office for Chimaev if it goes past the first round.
Dricus Du Plessis climbs pound-for-pound chart after dominant striking decision at UFC 312
After edging him out by a split decision in their first go, Dricus Du Plessis wasn’t taking chances. Hence, the South African picked up a dominant decision in Saturday’s headliner at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Sure, it went to the judges. But that’s not a pointer to DDP being bad. Both of Du Plessis’ slow-running bouts have been against Sean Strickland, and there is that common factor and ego in fight styles.
DDP honored Strickland’s UFC 312 pre-fight pact by keeping the fight largely a standup, breaking his nose in the process. That doesn’t mean he isn’t ready for a hard scramble too; DDP was prepping for Khamzat Chmaev’s “Borz” blitzkrieg. So, it’s no wonder he could close the line and threaten “Tarzan” with takedowns and well as strike him out with volume.
🚨| Dricus Du Plessis moves up one place above Belal Muhammad to No.6 on the updated men’s pound-for-pound rankings following #UFC312. 🇿🇦🏆 pic.twitter.com/VtXuPA4oom
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) February 11, 2025
Given the performance, DDP has climbed one spot to No. 6 in the latest pound-for-pound update. This drops Belal Muhammad to No. 7. As for Strickland, he moved to the lower end of the P4P rankings. With a spot opening up and revenge put to bed, Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov might have lofty ideas for gold now.
Related: Khamzat Chimaev warned about health risks as Dricus du Plessis reserves title shot after UFC 312
Stay Updated!
Dibaas.M
(1399 Articles Published)