Khamzat Chimaev is nothing more than another stepping stone toward Dricus du Plessis' ultimate MMA goal.
After bagging impressive title defenses against Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland, 'DDP' will face his toughest test yet when he puts his undisputed middleweight gold on the line against 'Borz' at UFC 319 this Saturday night, August 16, in Chicago.
Sitting on an impressive 9-0 run inside the Octagon, du Plessis dreams of one day retiring from mixed martial arts as the greatest fighter the sport has ever seen. With a win over Chimaev, the South African sensation believes he'll be one step closer to achieving that goal.
I don't care what the fans see," du Plessis told Helen Yee. "Every time I defend that title, there's going to be a next best guy. And that's how I see him. He's the next step. He's the next guy in my way to becoming the greatest.
Will Dricus du Plessis continue to defy the odds against Khamzat Chimaev?
As was the case in seven of his nine fights under the UFC banner, du Plessis goes into UFC 319 as the underdog. As it stands, the undefeated Chechen monster is a 2-to-1 favorite to leave 'Chi-Town' with the 185-pound crown wrapped around his waist.
Of course, du Plessis has made a career out of defying the odds.
Robert Whittaker was a -400 favorite to defeat 'DDP' before getting brutally knocked out by 'Stillknocks' at UFC 290. 'DDP' was then a +130 underdog in his first title tilt with Sean Strickland and a +150 dog in his subsequent title defense against 'The Last Stylebender' in August 2024.
Will du Plessis defy the odds once again and take another giant step towards MMA immortality? Fortunately, we won't have to wait much longer to find out.
