"DDP didn’t even flinch once" - Fans react to Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev's dramatic face-off ahead of UFC 319 

Khamzat Chimaev (left) will take on Dricus du Plessis (right) at the headlining bout of UFC 319. [Images courtesy: Getty Images and @dricusduplessis on Instagram]
Khamzat Chimaev (left) will take on Dricus du Plessis (right) in the headlining bout of UFC 319. [Images courtesy: Getty Images and @dricusduplessis on Instagram]

UFC 319 is shaping up to be everything it promised, and the chaotic final face-off between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev has raised the excitement among fight fans even more.

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Despite heading into perhaps the toughest fight of their careers, du Plessis and Chimaev had kept things relatively respectful in the lead-up to fight week. However, the pre-fight press conference saw a notable shift in their demeanors as they readily engaged in a verbal tirade.

As the pair engaged in their final face-off, 'Borz' kept on taunting his opponent before shoving him, forcing security to separate the pair. Suffice it to say, MMA fans read quite a lot into their behavior.

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Check out the final face-off between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev below:

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@xiongmao_ai wrote:

"DDP didn’t even flinch once. Never seen Khamzat so emotionally wrecked before the fight. He was calm with Rob [Robert Whittaker], but with DDP, he knows his undefeated is over."

@stillinthefield observed:

"DDP didn’t even flinch when Khamzat tried to push him, so you know he’s not coming into the fight hesitant or afraid. That’s a good look!"
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@timbuck63 chimed in:

"Been saying for the past 4 weeks that Khamzat can't control his emotions, he loses his cool. We've all seen it before. Saw it in the [Gilbert] Burns fight."

Check out a few more comments below:

Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on X
Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on X

According to the UFC's official website, Chiamaev is a -265 favorite for the matchup, with 'Stillknocks' a +215 underdog. The main card of UFC 319 will kick off at 10 PM ET on Saturday, Aug. 16, and can be streamed on ESPN+ via pay-per-view.

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Dricus du Plessis' coach says his pupil dominated Khamzat Chimaev at press conference face-off

Dricus du Plessis' coach, Morne Visser, believes his pupil has already achieved the mental victory over Khamzat Chimaev. The MMA trainer is convinced 'Stillknocks' showed dominant mannerisms during his pre-fight press conference face-off against Chimaev.

Talking to Submission Radio ahead of UFC 319, Visser pointed out that 'Borz' had his hands near his chest while du Plessis had his up and over his opponent's arms when they faced off. The MMA trainer elaborated:

"Khamzat has got his hands close to his chest, and Dricus has his hands over Khamzat's arms. Not a lot of people look at that, but that shows dominance. If you look at that face-off, you know, when there are two guys fighting in the street and one guy gets pulled away and his buddies kind of save him. Dana came in between, and he pushed them apart, and only then Khamzat made a big noise. Why wasn't he so arrogant when he was standing right in front of Dricus?"

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Edited by Ujwal Jain
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