"Biggest" factor "in play" for Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev showdown outlined by former common opponent

A mutual opponent of Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev recently shared his thoughts on their upcoming middleweight title fight. He highlighted what could be the deciding factor in who gets their hand raised.

Du Plessis vs. Chimaev is scheduled to headline UFC 319, which takes place at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 16. 'Borz' enters the bout with plenty of momentum as he has yet to taste defeat in his career so far and has defeated former champions in his previous two bouts. Meanwhile, 'Stillknocks' has been equally impressive and will look to earn his third successful middleweight title defense.

In the latest episode of his MMArcade podcast, Robert Whittaker, who fought both du Plessis and Chimaev, highlighted wrestling as a key area of focus ahead of UFC 319.

Whittaker mentioned that he believes Chimaev taking du Plessis down is inevitable, but noted that the challenger's durability could be what determines the winner because of his past performances. He said:

"If [Chimaev] can't put [du Plessis] away, what does he look like coming out in round two? And then, let's say he does it again. What does he look like coming out in round three? And then we've got that Usman fight again... Dricus, he's got a gas tank... I guess that's the biggest thing in play. It's just like, what Chimaev does with the takedowns because I believe there is no doubt in my mind that he gets them and what does he do with them?"

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments here (14:45 onwards):

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Robert Whittaker highlights Dricus du Plessis' biggest strength

Robert Whittaker also highlighted Dricus du Plessis' biggest strength when sharing his thoughts on what he believes will transpire in his middleweight title fight against Khamzat Chimaev.

In the aforementioned episode, Whittaker mentioned that du Plessis is a very durable fighter that is constantly engaging and pushing an aggressive pace and noted that it could serve him well at UFC 319. He said:

"If you don't put [du Plessis] away, he'll keep fighting, like, he'll keep coming at you with his bombs and his punches and his kicks. He'll keep doing it until the bell rings. And I think that that's one of his superpowers." [15:02]

Check out the official announcement of UFC 319 headliner below: