"I walked into Godzilla" - Dricus du Plessis reflects on Khamzat Chimaev run-in ahead of UFC 319 showdown

Dricus du Plessis (left) talks about meeting Khamzat Chimaev (right) ahead of UFC 319. [Images courtesy: Getty]
Dricus du Plessis (left) talks about meeting Khamzat Chimaev (right) ahead of UFC 319. [Images courtesy: Getty]

Dricus du Plessis recently shared his thoughts after meeting Khamzat Chimaev ahead of their upcoming clash. The South African made a light-hearted joke, referring to Chimaev as "Godzilla."

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'Stillknocks' is scheduled to defend the middleweight championship against Chimaev at UFC 319 on Aug. 16. In the lead-up to the bout, the two fighters had a brief interaction where they shook hands and greeted each other.

During the media day interview for UFC 319, du Plessis was asked to reflect on that moment. In response, the 185-pound champion said:

"Like you saw, he's 8 feet tall, and basically, I walked into Godzilla. That's what I had to take away from that. No, I'm just kidding. He was respectful and, like I always said, if my opponent is respectful, I'll be respectful before the fight, and it looks like there won't be any antics unless something changes."
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He added:

"But it was great. It's good to see that my opponent is healthy. Now, all the question is, is he gonna show up? It never bothered me, but I know it was a question for everyone."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below:

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Dricus du Plessis envisions getting closer to UFC middleweight 'GOAT' status after Khamzat Chimaev clash

Dricus du Plessis is coming off two successful title defenses against Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland. Currently, the record for the most title defenses in UFC middleweight division history is held by Anderson Silva with 10 wins. Israel Adesanya ranks second with five defenses, while Chris Weidman is third with three.

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During the media day interview for UFC 319, Dricus du Plessis mentioned that a title defense against Khamzat Chimaev would bring him closer to 'GOAT' status:

"Yeah, in terms of the amount of title defenders, for sure... But when you look at the amount of defenses and you look at a guy like Anderson Silva, for example, I think Anderson Silva is the GOAT...But you have to look in also in terms of era of title defenses. Who these guys fought? Did they fight a guy with a part-time job? Did they fight full-time fighters? Was the sport ever as developed as it is right now?"
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He added:

"But I can't take away from any of those guys. I'm just saying in today's age of fighting, that amount of defenses is not always possible. Right now, I still have a long way to go before I'm considered as the greatest middleweight of all time...but after this fight, I'm right up there. I'm getting very close to that."

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Edited by Nilaav Gogoi
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