Brendan Schaub thinks Dricus du Plessis could be the UFC's first-ever three-division champion. Chael Sonnen isn't so sure.
Following dominant defenses against Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland in his last two outings, 'DDP' will arguably face his toughest test yet when he puts his middleweight gold on the line against undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev. 'DDP' and Chimaev will headline UFC 319 this Saturday, August 16, when the promotion heads back to Chicago for a loaded pay-per-view lineup, which includes the Octagon debut of former Bellator star Aaron Pico.
When du Plessis and Chimaev step inside the cage, they'll be fighting for much more than gold.
Both fighters enter the bout undefeated in their UFC careers, and both have dreams of etching their names in the history books as a three-division champion. But despite Schaub's strong belief that 'DDP' can accomplish his goal, Sonnen thinks that could be a pretty tall order for du Plessis. Especially when the man you have to go through is Chimaev.
Brendan Schaub did a piece, and he likes Dricus," Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. "He likes Dricus to the point that he thinks he could be a three-division champion. Brendan laid out the math: 185, where he's already king. Go up to 205, grab the belt, slide up to heavyweight, beat those guys.
"I don't hate the idea. I'm grateful that Brendan brought this to our attention because I too find that Dricus, in his next fight, is not fighting for nothing. I think there is something there. Take it from me, Mr. Division Expert: it has never been this difficult.
Who's 'O' will go when Dricus du Plessis meets Khamzat Chimaev in 'The Windy City'?
'DDP' heads to Chi-Town with a perfect 9-0 record inside the Octagon and wins over a slew of former world champions. Meanwhile, 'Borz' will look to cash in on his long-awaited title opportunity after ragdolling opponents on his way to a 14-0 record, including a teeth-cracking submission win over Robert Whittaker in Abu Dhabi last year.
As it stands, Chimaev is a moderate favorite to come out on top, but du Plessis is known for defying the odds. In fact, the South African sensation has opened as the underdog in seven of his nine UFC bouts.
Will du Plessis defy the odds once again, or is it Chimaev's time to finally strap UFC gold around his waist?