Joe Rogan previews Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev title fight, compares 'Stillknocks' to active UFC champion: "He's a monster"

Joe Rogan recently shared his preview of the upcoming Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev clash and lauded the UFC middleweight champion's incredible fight cardio.

'Stillknocks' is set to face Chimaev in a middleweight title fight at UFC 319 at the United Center in Chicago this weekend. While du Plessis is coming off an impressive unanimous decision win over Sean Strickland in their rematch at UFC 312 in February, Chimaev last submitted former 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker in the first round at UFC 308 last October.

Ahead of the du Plessis-Chimaev clash, Rogan discussed du Plessis' cardio and compared him to UFC bantamweight king Merab Dvalishvili. The podcaster drew parallels between their incredible ability to maintain their high-intensity style over five rounds and lauded the hard work that goes into achieving that.

In an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE MMA Show #169), the UFC commentator said:

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"He’s a monster, and you [Matt Serra] know this because you work with Merab, there’s guys that reach this level of discipline and they achieve a level of cardio vascular performance that’s just above everybody else’s and then they maintain it... The amount of hard work is extraordinary to get to that level, and I think Dricus is kind of a similar thing [to Dvalishvili], I think that dude works so hard that he can go out and fight full blast."

Rogan previewed the fight and continued:

"I could see either one of these guys winning this fight... It’s gonna be interesting to see if it gets into deep water... Khamzat’s speed is a big factor with his hand speed... [Khamzat] is good standing up, and that’s where it’s gonna be weird, that’s where I wanna see because Du Plessis makes everyone look stupid, he finds a way to get you."

Catch Joe Rogan's comments below (1:25):

Joe Rogan questions Khamzat Chimaev's ability to keep up with Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319

In the same episode, Joe Rogan questioned whether Khamzat Chimaev could keep up with Dricus du Plessis' cardio over five rounds if he fails to finish the fight in the opening round of their UFC 319 showdown.

Speaking to Matt Serra, John Rallo, and Din Thomas on the JRE MMA Show, Rogan wondered if Chimaev would find himself in deep trouble in the latter rounds of the fight and said:

"Does he have the confidence to go for it and possibly empty the gas tank and get the finish? And if he doesn't, how f*cked is he?... You can't adjust now in a world championship fight... I mean, but that's the question, can he sprint for five rounds because we know DDP can?"

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Edited by Nishant Zende.