Dricus Du Plessis outlines plan to stop Khamzat Chimaev in UFC 319 battle

UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis has revealed his strategy to halt Khamzat Chimaev when they meet at UFC 319 fight night in Chicago on Saturday night. With both men known for finishing fights, their clash at UFC 319 promises to be one of the year’s most explosive matchups.

Going into the fight, Du Plessis enters as the betting underdog, with many predicting Chimaev will secure a quick finish. Despite that, the South African remains confident, believing he can outwork Chimaev, wear him down, and ultimately force him to quit.

“I’m going out there to fight the way (I fight) and see what happens. He didn’t change his game plan with Robert Whittaker because it was a five-rounder,” Du Plessis said at UFC 319 pre-fight presser.



“That kind of already gives me the sense that he’s not gonna think about the five rounds when he should be. Five rounds is a long time, and I am not scared to get into that dark place. We’ve seen that. If we go full speed, you know, I can fight tired all day. I’ve done that many times. So, let’s go for it. Let’s go from the first bell to the last. Let’s go full speed and see who quits,” Du Plessis added.


Du Plessis, renowned for his high output in the later rounds, believes that endurance will be the key factor against Chimaev on Saturday night.

Oozing with confidence ahead of the bout, the middleweight champion attributes his self-belief to his fighting style. Du Plessis insists he has all the tools needed to secure victory and sees no reason to alter his approach.

“I’m not going out there to fight his fight,” Du Plessis said. “I’m going out there to do what Dricus does, and that is be a world champion.”

Du Plessis is set to make his third defense of the middleweight title, having already retained the belt against former champions Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya.