It looks like things are starting on the right for Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.
The two middleweights clash in a highly-anticipated championship fight this Saturday in the main event of UFC 319 – which goes down at United Center in Chicago. Both Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) have a history of getting into out-of-cage brawls with their respective foes, yet no security was needed for their first encounter in the UFC 319 fight week.
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During their fight week obligations, Du Plessis and Chimaev crossed paths. Chimaev was the first to approach; they shook hands, exchanged a few words, and kept things professional. You can watch their first encounter in the video below:
Du Plessis enters UFC 319 as the defending champion, looking to complete a third defense. He won the belt from Sean Strickland in early 2024, and has since defended it twice – submitting Israel Adesanya, and outpointing Strickland again in a rematch.
On the other hand, Chimaev finally gets his long-awaited title shot. He’s been a top contender in the division, and had yet to taste defeat in his professional MMA career. Since returning to middleweight in 2023, Chimaev has picked up back-to-back wins over former champions Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker.
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 319: Dricus Du Plessis, Khamzat Chimaev cross paths on fight week