Dricus du Plessis admitted recently that there is a lot of pressure on him to perform and beat Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. However, that’s not an issue for the South African brute, who claims that losing the title is “not an option.” Well, a win over the undefeated star will surely add to his resume, but former double champion Georges St-Pierre‘s camp believes there is something significant to gain for du Plessis this weekend.
The middleweight division has had some of the biggest stars in the promotion, but when it comes to the greats, two fighters stand out the most — Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya. While one was the longest-reigning middleweight champion while the other captured the belt twice. However, Tristar Gym’s Firas Zahabi believes Dricus du Plessis could steal that label if he beats Khamzat Chimaev.
UFC legend’s coach claims Dricus du Plessis could surpass Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya
Georges St-Pierre’s coach, Firas Zahabi, made a bold claim ahead of the middleweight title headliner this weekend. Although he has Khamzat Chimaev winning the fight in his predictions, he claims that Dricus du Plessis could become the greatest UFC middleweight fighter. But that depends on him winning the fight, as handing a dominant and undefeated fighter his first loss has a lot of value.
“If DDP wins this fight, guys, if he wins this fight… which is possible because, guys, my official pick is Khamzat Chimaev, but if DDP wins this fight, he’s going to be the greatest middleweight of all time,” Georges St-Pierre’s coach stated on YouTube. “If you ever asked me who’s the greatest middleweight of all time, and DDP wins this fight, I’ll be like, ‘Oh, DDP.’ Easy. Easy.”
For some fans, this may be a wild take, given that Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya have made more impact than Dricus du Plessis. But according to Firas Zahabi, ‘The Spider’ comes second on the list, and as far as ‘The Last Stylebender’ is concerned, he has already lost to ‘Stillknocks’, and that too, via a finish. Not only that, ‘GSP’s coach also believes a win for du Plessis will also add him to the GOAT debate, alongside the likes of Jon Jones and St-Pierre himself.
“What about Anderson Silva? Yeah, Anderson Silva is really, really, you know, a great champion. Maybe the second greatest of all time. But without a doubt, I would say, head and shoulders above, it’s DDP. What about Adesanya? Well, he beat Adesanya,” Firas Zahabi added. “This [win against Chimaev] will solidify him as the greatest middleweight of all time, and he’s going to be in the GOAT discussion.”
UFC 312 SYDNEY, Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa enters the arena for his middleweight title bout against Sean Strickland of United States during the UFC 312 event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Sunday, February 9, 2025. ACHTUNG: NUR REDAKTIONELLE NUTZUNG, KEINE ARCHIVIERUNG UND KEINE BUCHNUTZUNG SYDNEY NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxAUSxNZLxPNGxFIJxVANxSOLxTGA Copyright: xMARKxEVANSx 20250209127909857851
These comments may add to Dricus du Plessis’ confidence because the 185lbs GOAT contenders seemed to have nice things to say about him and the upcoming fight. It appears that Israel Adesanya believes his former foe might just edge past Khamzat Chimaev.
Israel Adesanya picks DDP to beat Chimaev via finish
As we all know, Khamzat Chimaev has a tendency to shoot for the takedown as soon as the fight begins. That has worked in his favor many times, and it’s not something that he’s going to shy away from attempting against Dricus du Plessis. Having tested how tough the South African star is, Israel Adesanya believes du Plessis might just be able to fend off Chimaev’s pressure and finish him in the fourth round, much like the champion did to ‘Izzy’.
“Khamzat showed his hand. He’s going to go after him from the get-go, but DDP, I think, can weather the storm and probably finish Khamzat later on,” Israel Adesanya stated on his YouTube channel. “I say Round 3 or 4, DDP. But if Khamzat is going to win, it’s going to be in the first round. It’s going to be impressive, it’s going to be spectacular, it’s going to be violent. I’m going to go with DDP.”
But coming back to Dricus du Plessis having a chance to get to the MW GOAT status, Firas Zahabi has spent enough time in the MMA realm to know what he’s talking about. So, there must be some truth to his claims. What do you think? Do you agree? Drop your comments below.
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