Khamzat Chimaev told he’s in trouble against Dricus du Plessis unless he does one crucial thing in his UFC 319 camp
A former UFC champion has outlined what Khamzat Chimaev must do behind the scenes to have a chance against Dricus du Plessis.
After Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira to capture the lightweight belt and flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja beat Kai Kara-France with ease at UFC 317, divisional gold won’t be on the line again until August 16.
UFC 319 takes place on that night in Chicago, headlined by middleweight champion Du Plessis’ title defense against Chimaev.
‘Borz’ is looking to be crowned as an undefeated fighter, but one ex-UFC star thinks he will struggle unless he’s training the correct way.
TJ Dillashaw says Khamzat Chimaev must ‘break’ in camp before challenging Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319
During a recent episode of the JAXXON Podcast, former bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw looked ahead to the UFC 319 pay-per-view main event alongside Luke Rockhold and ‘Rampage’ Jackson.
Many are backing the challenger to leave Chicago with the title after his dominant UFC run, which most recently saw Chimaev crush Robert Whittaker with a face crank.
Dillashaw, though, thinks the Chechen star could be in trouble if he’s not being pushed to the limit by enough training partners in his camp.
“He needs to work on topping red line stuff. He goes for the kill, and you can only do that for so long,” Dillashaw said. “You have to train that section.
“Everyone’s heart rate, you get into the red zone, you start producing lactic acid, and you get tired. The only way to make that better is to be in that red zone for as long as possible…(and) also get used to it mentally.
“I would put a lot more money on Chimaev if he trains the right way for his cardio. If he doesn’t train his cardio the right way, it’s gonna be harder to put DDP away and DDP’s gonna put him away in the later rounds (after) gassing him out.
“I don’t think he has the gas tank if he doesn’t finish DDP,” Dillashaw added. “If Chimaev’s going to win this fight, he’s got to break in practice. So you’ve got to bring in enough guys to break him. … If you’re not getting beat up in training, you’re not training at the right spot.”
Dricus du Plessis’ ominous warning for Khamzat Chimaev
Du Plessis has frequently proved his doubters wrong when it comes to both his unorthodox style and ability to push the pace for five rounds.
And with that in mind, he’s evidently extremely confident of his chances against a man whose cardio remains a talking point in the lead-up to his first title challenge.
“I don’t care how good you think you are, how tough, how fit, or how strong,” Du Plessis wrote on Instagram.
“When you step into that octagon with me, it will be a first-time experience and not a pleasant one.
“That’s a promise. As we say in (South Africa) built different!! #stillknocks #preparetobeamazed.”
