Dricus du Plessis' teammate expects "DDP 2.0" showing up against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 while sharing bold fight prediction 

Dricus du Plessis is currently set to defend the middleweight championship against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on Aug. 16. Ahead of the bout, the champion's teammate, Mark Hulme, has shared his prediction.

'Stillknocks' has been a member of Team CIT MMA, based in Pretoria, South Africa, since the beginning of his professional MMA career. Hulme (13-4) also trains at the same gym.

In a recent interview with Bowks Talking Bouts, Hulme expressed confidence in du Plessis' ability to defeat Chimaev at UFC 319:

"I will tell you, that you guys can expect fireworks. I believe you will see a DDP 2.0. He's definitely putting in the work this side. He is doing everything a lot more scientific, and time will tell, brother. But I can tell you personally, I believe we're going to bring that belt back to South Africa." [H/t: BJPenn.com]

Check out the full interview below (17:39):

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Dricus du Plessis is ready for Khamzat Chimaev's pace at UFC 319

Khamzat Chimaev has finished five out of his eight UFC fights in the first round. In his most recent bout, he secured a first-round submission victory over Robert Whittaker.

During the media day interview for UFC 319, Dricus du Plessis was asked about Chimaev's pace. In response, he said:

"I'm going out there to fight the way [I fight] and see what happens. He didn't change his game plan with Robert Whittaker because it was a five-rounder. That kind of already gives me the sense that he's not gonna think about the five rounds when he should be. Five rounds is a long time, and I am not scared to get into that dark place. We've seen that."

He added:

"If we go full speed, you know, I can fight tired all day. I've done that many times. So, let's go for it. Let's go from the first bell to the last. Let's go full speed and see who quits."