Dricus Du Plessis is the hottest prospect in the UFC middleweight division right now. Sure, there’s Khamzat Chimaev, but in terms of world-beating performances over top contenders and former champions alike, ‘Stillknocks’ has proved his dominance by taking on name after name that the UFC has put in front of him. Of course, no-one discounts the danger ‘Borz’ brings to the Octagon, DDP included. But for all the hype and danger Chimaev brings to a matchup, can he actually handle Dricus Du Plessis the way he did Kevin Holland and Robert Whittaker?
Well, flyweight GOAT Demetrious Johnson thinks that Chimaev might find it harder to do what he did to Robert Whittaker, to Dricus Du Plessis. Sitting down with popular MMA podcaster MMA Guru, ‘Mighty Mouse’ spoke on exactly why he thinks DDP would be a tough matchup for Khamzat Chimaev.
“It’s going to be a sick fight because we know what Khamzat is gonna do. We know he’s going to go out there, he’s going to look to f—— wrestle, right? He does a good job of, you know—I don’t wanna say imposing on the feet—but when he fought Kamaru Usman, when he fought Robert Whittaker, everybody he’s fought besides Gilbert Burns—Gilbert Burns went toe-to-toe on the feet, but I think Khamzat loves to grapple. And we’re going to see if DDP can use his clumsy style and outwrestle Khamzat.”, DJ said in the his collaboration with MMA Guru.
He added, “Because I think if it does stay on the feet, I think DDP can out-strike him because Khamzat does have a rhythm to him. And he is not very, you know—like he doesn’t throw a lot of combinations. But I think this is the fight to make and they’re gonna make that fight happen.”
LAS VEGAS, NV – SEPTEMBER 7: Khamzat Chimaev speaks to the media during the UFC 279 media day on September 7, 2022, at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
While it’s true that DDP is not as polished with his ground game as Khamzat Chimaev, his whimsical style of fighting always presents something new—something that throws high-performing fighters off their game. His unorthodox style has seem him handily beat top middleweights like Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland.
Dricus Du Plessis has a takedown average of 2.55 per 15 minutes. He also defends 50% of all takedowns attempted against him. On the flip side, Chimaev has an average of 4.31 takedowns with a 46% precision. Johnson seemed to be on the fence, giving both fighters credit where it’s due, but Daniel Cormier had a clear favourite for this probable fight.
Daniel Cormier chose his favorite fighter among DDP and Chimaev
Dricus Du Plessis delivered a masterful performance against Strickland (twice, no less), and now, people are itching to see him fight the #3 ranked middleweight Khamzat Chimaev. Truly, people are touting ‘Borz’ as the ultimate challenge for a fighter like DDP, than let’s say a Sean Strickland. Chimaev’s all-or-nothing style of fighting is much more entertaining than ‘Tarzan’s less aggressive fighting style.
While many in the MMA community are giving both fighters a 50-50 chance of winning, Daniel Cormier has a definitive pick. “If they book these guys today, I believe that Khamzat Chimaev will be the favorite. He will be the favorite on most scorecards if they put him and Dricus Du Plessis matched up right now, that is how good he’s looked in every,”, the former two-weight champion said in a compilation by YouTube channel ‘MMA Global’.
DC’s choice is natural given that Chimaev defeated all his opponents and has a tried-and-tested wrestling game in the Octagon. But DDP’s unusual fighting style is also electrifying, and raises a lot of “what ifs”. So who do you think will win between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
The post “DDP Can Outstrike Him” – Flyweight GOAT Spells Serious Trouble For Khamzat Chimaev in Verdict on Dricus Du Plessis Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.
