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12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dricus du Plessis 'begged' UFC to let him fight Khamzat Chimaev in enemy territory, vows to 'shock the world'
Dricus du Plessis' first walk into Chicago's iconic United Center was a memorable one. The UFC middleweight champion is set to defend his belt against one of the sport's most fearsome fighters — undefeated Chechen mauler Khamzat Chimaev — atop the UFC 319 pay-per-view card at the home of the NBA's Chicago Bulls on Aug. 16. Though du Plessis hails from South Africa, he has studied the mentality of one of America's most revered and ruthless sporting heroes, Michael Jordan. So it's no surprise that he stood in awe at Jordan's statue, reading the simple yet powerful 11-word inscription that adorns it: 'The best there ever was. The best there ever will be.' 'That's goals, for any athlete," du Plessis said Wednesday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show." 'Michael Jordan is one of my sporting heroes. I've read so many books on his mindset and how he approaches things.' Now du Plessis plots his own pathway, not just to another championship defense, but to outright dominance in the sport. The 31-year-old told Uncrowned that he is targeting MMA's No. 1 pound-for-pound spot. He wants to go out like Jordan, as a bonafide legend of the game he plays. He's not just basking in the legacy of others — he wants to continue forging his own. Du Plessis already beat former UFC champions Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland (twice) and Israel Adesanya. Regardless, he's the underdog to the surging bookmakers' favorite, Chimaev. 'He is a special fighter … incredibly good,' du Plessis acknowledged of his challenger. Spend any time around du Plessis and it becomes quickly apparent that he has no qualms acknowledging the greatness of his opponents. That's because he is so confident in his own growth as a fighter and as a champion. It is something his critics have perhaps been slow to recognize. Yes, du Plessis has an awkward style of striking. And though it looks like he's breathing heavily after only a round, he really possesses one of the best engines in the entire roster. That's no accident. It's a product of a lifetime's work. And it's work he continues to fine-tune to this day. 'I don't care if people say, 'Dricus isn't a good champion,'' he explained. 'I'm getting paid, I'm defending the belt, twice, and now a third time. I've never had a boring fight. 'Up until a month ago, I had fought everyone in the top five except Nassourdine Imavov. That's the résumé. I want to fight the best guys, and I wanted the Khamzat fight so bad. 'I'm getting respect from more people now, but I'm proven, I'm winning. My style is not for everyone, it's awkward.' It's awkward on purpose. 'It's something they've never seen," du Plessis said. "So that's why it's awkward. How do you defend that? I do things in a way that my coaches and I have been training for. We look at a fighter, 'This is the way they do it, and this is a better way to do it.' Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. 'If you throw your strikes like everyone else, eventually somebody will be able to figure that out. It's not that I'm awkward … I'm different. While people were critiquing, they should be taking notes because they'll fall behind and have to play catch-up.' Though du Plessis has found his groove as a champion, he grades his current abilities as merely a six out of 10. 'I'm far from giving the performance that I know I can,' he pledged. 'I'm chasing the perfect round, and the perfect fight. I think it's impossible, but it's worth chasing.' It's a mindset that bears comparison to Jordan, who constantly battled himself to stay elite. For du Plessis, it's finding that punch-perfect performance — something he feels may be within himself. The comparisons don't stop there. No matter how brutal it may sound to a neutral observer, Jordan's killer instinct was so fierce that coach Mike Malone once said the shooting guard would "reach into your chest and pull your heart out if he had to win a game." Du Plessis has that in his soul too, because he'd fight anyone for the championship. He said he even requested the UFC to book the fight in enemy territory, in front of his opponent's own fans. "I begged them, actually — I wanted to fight [Chimaev] in Abu Dhabi, fighting in his neck of the woods, like I have been doing with with so many other opponents," du Plessis said. "I've grown quite fond of that. 'I'd fight my brother for my title, if I had to, and I'd try to kill him. I promise you that. And he's my best friend. When we get in the [Octagon], there are no friends. There are no relationships in a fight.' Fortunately, on Aug. 16, du Plessis isn't fighting a friend nor a relative. He's fighting Chimaev, someone he doesn't think much of as a person, but still holds in high regard. 'From the first time I saw him fight, I knew he was going to be special," du Plessis said of his challenger. 'There was never a stage where I thought he was overrated. He's as good as people think. But I'm better than people think.' If, indeed, du Plessis is better than people think, and he does leave the United Center with a resounding win over Chimaev, then it may well push him higher on the pound-for-pound list. Du Plessis lauds UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria as the sport's latest No. 1 for the way Topuria vanquished Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira in back-to-back-to-back bouts. 'Absolutely incredible,' du Plessis said of the striker. 'Merab [Dvalishvili] is also incredible. People have gotten so used to [Islam] Makhachev winning that they've forgotten how amazing he is.' Considering the proven exploits of those top three, du Plessis said it will be a tough ask to leapfrog any of them with one win over Chimaev. Yet before his career is done, he'll have 'been ranked at the top,' regardless. That, he promises. "[Chimaev is] incredibly good,' du Plessis said. 'But jeez, I can't wait. This win? This is going to be history. I'm going out there and will shock the world once again. 'You will see the boogeyman break in there, and realize there will be only one boogeyman in the division. 'And that man will be me.'
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Canadian teen Mboko beats Rybakina to reach WTA Montreal final
Canadian wild card Victoria Mboko saved a match point on the way to a thrilling 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) victory over former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on Wednesday to reach the final of the WTA Canadian Open. The 18-year-old fed off the energy of the crowd, crediting ecstatic supporters with carrying her through after a tumble left her with a sore right wrist in the third set of her first tour-level semi-final. Mboko, who ousted top-seeded French Open champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round, didn't let it stop her. After going down an early break in the third set she refused to go quietly, loading up on her forehand fending off a match point as she broke Rybakina in the 10th game to level the set. A couple of untimely double faults helped ninth-seeded Rybakina break back for a 6-5 lead, but the ninth seed from Kazakhstan was broken at love in the next game, setting the stage for a gritty tiebreaker. "Anything can happen," an exhausted Mboko beamed as the crowd's cheers rained down on her. "Unfortunately I fell, but I had everyone supporting me and pushing me." Mboko, playing in just her third 1000-level event, will play the winner of the second-semi-final between four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan and Denmark's Clara Tauson. Osaka, still seeking to find consistency since returning from maternity leave in 2024, arrived in Montreal ranked 49th in the world. She'll face a tough challenge in Tauson, who reached the semi-finals with wins over Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek and Australian Open winner Madison Keys. bb/sla
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Canadian teen Mboko reaches Montreal final, beating Rybakina in 3rd-set tiebreaker
MONTREAL (AP) — Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko rallied to reach the National Bank Open final, beating ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) on Wednesday night. The 18-year-old Mboko dropped to the court after Rybakina's shot sailed long on match point as the crowd — lined with 'Allez Vicky' — erupted. Mboko saved a match point in the third set and broke Rybakina twice to force the tiebreaker. Mboko, ranked 85th in the world, is seeking her first WTA Tour title and trying to join Faye Urban (1969) and Bianca Andreescu (2019) as the only Canadians to win the home event in the open era. On Thursday night, she'll face the winner of the second semifinal between Japanese star Naomi Osaka and 16th-seeded Clara Tauson of Denmark. From Toronto, Mboko will move up to at least 34th in the world after starting the year outside the top 300. She upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the quarterfinals, then topped Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 on Monday. From Kazakhstan, Rybakina won at Wimbledon in 2022. She has nine career WTA Tour victories, winning in May on clay at Strasbourg. Rybakina beat Mboko 6-3, 7-5 last month in Washington. ___ AP tennis: The Associated Press
