Sean Strickland outlines Dricus du Plessis' only path to victory against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319

Sean Strickland recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight at UFC 319 later this month. Strickland lauded Chimaev's grappling prowess and outlined what du Plessis needs to do to beat the Chechen-born fighter.

'Stillknocks' will take on Chimaev in a middleweight title fight at UFC 319 on Aug. 16 at the United Center in Chicago. Given Chimaev's incredible resume and exceptional grappling skills, many believe that du Plessis is in for a rough day at the office. It appears Strickland agrees with that analysis.

In a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, Strickland claimed he knows just how good Chimaev's ground game is and urged du Plessis to work on grappling. He said:

"Dricus has better standup than Chimaev, but Chimaev has pretty crazy grappling. I've been training with these f**king Dagi t*rrorists my entire f**king life... I know how to get up from these guys and I can withstand a storm. I don’t know if [du Plessis] has encountered that level of wrestling to where it might get him a little off guard... He just really has to be ready for an extreme amount of pressure on the ground. If he can withstand that, he’s gonna beat him [Chimaev]."

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Dricus du Plessis names Sean Strickland among toughest and best opponents ever

Sean Strickland may not be the best opponent Dricus du Plessis ever faced, but he's one of the toughest. The South African fighter recently opened up about the hardest challenges in the octagon and named 'Tarzan' among his notable opponents.

In an interview with Betway South Africa, du Plessis was asked about his hardest fights in the UFC. He replied:

"That's a very open-ended question... I would probably say [Israel] Adesanya was the best guy I faced, in his specific area. Probably the fight I was most nervous for... I think he's the best guy I have ever faced. Obviously, if you watched that fight, it was one hell of a fight. It was a tough night at the office for both of us."

He continued:

"But then, if you just go on pure toughness, you have to go with either Brad Tavares or Sean Strickland. Just the amount of damage they were able to take and just keep going."

Watch the full clip below:

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Edited by Nishant Zende.