Khamzat Chimaev has impressed fans since his debut in the organisation in 2020.
His early dismantling of top UFC names such as Robert Whittaker and Kevin Holland have catapulted him to his August 16th title shot against Dricus Du Plessis.
Chimaev has struggled against one former champion in Kamaru Usman, where he faced some adversity, but pulled off a majority decision win over ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
It is a wholly different task in front of him against an in-form champion, with Du Plessis warning he will beat Khamzat at his own game.
UFC middleweight predicts a ‘surprise’ Dricus Du Plessis win, not ‘sold’ on Khamzat Chimaev
Whichever fighter wins, they will have to contend with an interesting list of contenders, which could include Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez, who fights Roman Dolidze at UFC Fight Night in the Apex.
The American is looking to extend his seven-fight win streak as he keeps an eye on the 319 title bout.
When asked by MMA Fighting for his prediction, Hernandez said: “I think DDP is going to surprise the world, man. He’s a big motherf- – -er. He’s awkward.
“He comes forward. He doesn’t get tired. Khamzat gets tired with small guys who were 155ers, who went up to 170.”
Since the South African won the belt, his two dominant defences against Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland have made him look unbeatable at 185.
Even with his lauded submission win over Whittaker, the #10 ranked contender isn’t convinced by ‘The Wolf’.
“So, I’m still not really sold on him. I know he’s good. I know he beat up Robert Whitaker,” Hernandez said.
“If you can get him to the floor, it usually seems that they have a bad night. That’s just the honest truth of how I’ve seen it play out.”
Khamzat Chimaev dismisses ‘weird’ style of Dricus Du Plessis ahead of UFC 319
A big part of the game plan of the 31-year-old titleholder is his unpredictability in the Octagon.
He is known for his wild strikes and unorthodox approaches to takedowns, which opponents rarely see coming.
However, the challenger is unbothered by the claims and doesn’t even think it is as ‘weird’ as analysts describe.
On the UFC media day, he said: “Everyone says he has a weird style, very weird – that’s MMA, MMA style.
“I don’t think he’s some crazy, weird (fighter), but he does his job. He’s a good fighter. I am better.”
Khamzat may need to bank on his 58% strike accuracy to not only inflict damage but also keep his opponent at bay.