"He's quivering inside" - Fans react to Dricus du Plessis vowing to put Khamzat Chimaev "to sleep" ahead of UFC 319 title clash

The mood for UFC 319 fight day has been set in motion after Dricus du Plessis declared his intent to finish Khamzat Chimaev. Fans wasted little time in dissecting alleged signs of tension as the South African champion made his intentions clear.

In the build-up, Chimaev maintained a measured approach at the press conference. He threw verbal jabs while defending teammate Baisangur Susurkaev against Eric Nolan, but the tone remained relatively controlled.

That calm demeanor took a sharp turn at the weigh-ins. Chimaev was animated as he lunged at du Plessis and forced security to step in when the staredown turned physical.

During his post-weigh-in interview with Joe Rogan, du Plessis said that he's prepared for the challenge:

“I’m putting [Chimaev] to sleep… I’m taking out your boy, and all of you will be cheering.”

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below:

Championship Rounds

@ChampRDS

Dricus du Plessis:​“I’m putting [Khamzat] to sleep… I’m taking out your boy, and all of you will be cheering.” 😳 #UFC319

Those comments drew sharp reaction from fans, with one fan writing:

"He’s scared, man… I know fear, and when I look into Dricus' eyes... He’s quivering inside."

Meanwhile, other fans wrote:

"DDP is so cooked, the cheering of the crowds is getting to him and is driving him insane."

"Can't wait to watch him back up the talk. Khamzat is going to sleep tomorrow."

"DDP looks not impressed at all. Let's see if he can back this up once the octagon is locked."

"He will keep it that way. Khamzat will falter in the championship rounds."

"Evil laugh is good addition."

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Fans react to Dricus du Plessis' final comments ahead of UFC 319. [Screenshots courtesy: @ufc and @ChampRDS on X]

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Dricus du Plessis compares his UFC run with Khamzat Chimaev's ahead of UFC 319

Dricus du Plessis believes his path to UFC gold proves more significant than Khamzat Chimaev’s unbeaten run. The South African captured the middleweight title by dethroning Sean Strickland in early 2024, defended it against Israel Adesanya, and then turned back Strickland again in a rematch.

Chimaev, by contrast, is unbeaten but has yet to face a reigning champion. With UFC 319 set for Chicago, 'Stillknocks' sees his experience over five-round battles as the edge against the undefeated challenger.

Comparing their UFC careers in an interview with UFC, du Plessis said:

"My rise was a bit quicker than his. I made my debut after him, I’m on my third title defense… I’m the world champion. He hasn’t fought a world champion. He’s fought a former world champion, but he hasn’t fought a world champion. He’s fought at middleweight on 10 days’ notice, he’s fought Robert Whittaker, which was obviously a great performance that earned him this title shot, but if you look at the size difference, just take that into consideration between me and a guy like Robert Whittaker."