Khamzat Chimaev’s relentless aggression, dominant wrestling, and undefeated record have made him the so-called boogeyman of the weight class. Many believe he is unstoppable, but according to Michael ‘Venom’ Page, middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis would derail his hype train.
Chimaev has long proven his ability to dominate opponents early, often finishing fights in the first round. However, his conditioning has been called into question in past performances, particularly in his fight against Gilbert Burns, where he visibly slowed down as the bout progressed. Page believes that if Du Plessis can survive the initial storm, his superior cardio and power will turn the tide in his favor.
In an appearance on the OverDogs podcast, MVP highlighted that Du Plessis also operated at an exceptionally high pace, which could pose serious problems for Chimaev if their fight goes beyond the opening round. Expanding further on his opinion of the South African, he said, “Someone like Merab who’s at 7, 8 from start to finish, mate that’s difficult to deal with, and Dricus seems exactly the same, he’s like 7, 8 the whole time.”
It’s not just the pace throughout the fight that could cause Chimaev problems, it’s DDP’s ever-increasing arsenal of weapons. The middleweight champion might look awkward in fights and may often fall over but he is known to have a brilliant camp and comes exceptionally prepared for any scenario.
Take the Sean Strickland rematch at UFC 312 for example. To counter Strickland’s pressing, DDP kept jabbing him with body shots and pivoting away and would often complement them with head kicks to keep the American at a distance. As the fight continued, DDP would get more aggressive and systematically dismantle Strickland.
And it is because of these very reasons that he himself is quite confident about outlasting Chimaev.
du Plessis sees Chimaev as an opportunity
Since joining the UFC in 2020, Du Plessis has taken on all challengers, cementing himself as the middleweight champion. In fact, following Chimaev’s win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, Du Plessis was the first to offer him the title shot. Most champions would have backed off after seeing ‘Borz‘ dislocate Whittaker’s jaw.
But not DDP! Speaking with Ariel Helwani on Uncrowned, Du Plessis made it clear that he does not fear Chimaev’s reputation and said, “People see Khamzat as this boogeyman. That’s a fact. I don’t. I don’t see that. For me, I only see one thing — that’s the potential to do good to my legacy. The potential to make my legacy even better.”
Although the fight has yet to be scheduled, Du Plessis believes International Fight Week would be the ideal stage for the matchup.
Chimaev has only had two UFC fights extend to the third round, whereas Du Plessis has consistently proven his versatility against different genres of fighters. His grappling skills were sharp enough to submit Israel Adesanya, and his striking overwhelmed Strickland. And now, he hopes a combination of both will secure another title defense against Chimaev.
