"He has this aura, he is unbeaten" - Dricus du Plessis lays down fight plan for Khamzat Chimaev title clash

Dricus du Plessis is scheduled to defend his middleweight championship against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on Aug. 16. Ahead of the bout, du Plessis has outlined his strategy to counter Chimaev's threat in their title match.

Since his UFC debut, 'Borz' has remained undefeated in the promotion. He has secured victories over several notable fighters, including Gilbert Burns, Kamaru Usman, and Robert Whittaker.

In a recent interview with Chicago Sports Network, du Plessis was asked to share his game plan for tackling Chimaev. He replied:

"I think the one thing that you have to look at in at Khamzat, being a grappling, wrestling pedigree, especially in the wrestling aspect. So, it's not pure grappling but more of a wrestling style because he's so physically dominant. And if you look at my fights, I try to do the exact same thing. It's a bully style of fighting."

He added:

"I think that is the exact way you beat a guy like this, and that's how I'm going to beat him... That's at the end of the day, you get the guys that fight him because he has this name. He has this aura, he is unbeaten, and people fight him in a defensive way, and I don't think that's the way to fight him. I think you have to face him head-on. Go for it and give him some of his own medicine."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (1:18):

---

Reinier de Ridder wants Dricus du Plessis to win at UFC 319

Since becoming the UFC middleweight champion in January last year, Dricus du Plessis has successfully defended his title twice. In contrast, Khamzat Chimaev has fought only once since defeating Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in October 2023.

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, UFC middleweight Reinier de Ridder expressed his desire to see 'Stillknocks' win against Chimaev so he can contest for the title sooner:

"I think if Khamzat wins this one, especially if he wins decisively, he'll be a huge name, and that might come with him taking a lot of time off after. So it might be better if Dricus wins, and then we can fight in four to six months. That would be best... So hopefully, it would be nice if Dricus wins and we can line it up."

Check out Reinier de Ridder's comments below (13:21):