"DDP and Ilia murder them" - Fans react as Khamzat Chimaev and Arman Tsarukyan link up ahead of UFC 319

Khamzat Chimaev's collaboration with Arman Tsarukyan ahead of UFC 319 has caught the attention of MMA fans worldwide. The majority of them made fun of Chimaev and Tsarukyan, citing their pullouts in the past.

Chimaev is currently in the United States to prepare for his upcoming middleweight title fight against reigning champion Dricus du Plessis in the UFC 319 headliner. Tsarukyan joined the undefeated contender in his training camp ahead of the ninth pay-per-view card, which will take place on Aug. 16 at the United Center in Chicago.

'Ahalkalakets' shared their picture on Instagram, which was reposted on X by Championship Rounds.

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Fans soon rushed to the comments section to share their reactions.

One fan wrote:

''DDP and Ilia murder them''

Another stated:

''Wrong. Khamzat actually joined Arman. Arman is known for training at that place, its in Long Beach I think.''

Other fans wrote:

''Won’t get my hopes up when Khamzat is known to pull out fights late..If he somehow makes up an excuse for this time I’m done with this guy''

''Khamzat needs to train with true middleweights or even a light heavy weight he’s gonna ragdoll a lightweight in Arman and be surprised when he’s up against DDPs mass''

Check out more reactions below:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on X]

Chimaev is known for going at his opponents right away when the fight begins, displaying his wrestling prowess. However, du Plessis is a resilient fighter and in order to go five rounds with the South African, Chimaev has been working with T.J. Dillashaw's conditioning coach, Sam Calavitta, to improve his cardio.

'Borz' is coming off an impressive first-round submission win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 last year. Meanwhile, Tsarukyan injured his back prior to his title fight against then-champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311, resulting in his withdrawal.

Middleweight contender backs Khamzat Chimaev to beat Dricus du Plessis

No. 6-ranked middleweight contender Caio Borralho gave his take on the upcoming title fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 next month.

Borralho spoke to MMA Crazy earlier this month and predicted that Chimaev would dethrone du Plessis:

“I think it could be as fast as the Whittaker fight. Because people don’t prepare well to fight Khamzat [Chimaev]. They think it’s just about training against wrestlers. It’s not about that. So let’s see what kind of preparation Dricus [du Plessis] is going to do for this fight. But every time that I bet against Dricus, he shuts my mouth. (But) I think it can be as fast as the Whittaker fight.''

Check out Caio Borralho's comments below (3:26):

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Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena