‘It's All God': South African Credits Faith After Record-Breaking Score Against Australia
On Aug. 13, Dewald Brevis, 22, illuminated Darwin's Marrara Oval in northern Australia with an unbeaten 125 runs from just 56 balls with 12 fours and eight sixes, taking South Africa to 218 runs—a score the Australians could not beat.
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2 hours ago
Middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis puts belt on the line against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319
CHICAGO -- Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis will put his belt on the line for the third time against one of the most feared pound-for-pound fighters on the UFC roster. Du Plessis (23-2) will face Khamzat Chimaev (14-0) at a sold-out United Center on Saturday night at UFC 319 as the event returns to Chicago for the first time in more than six years. The blockbuster main event features Du Plessis, who defeated Sean Strickland in a split decision at UFC 297, and defended the belt by beating Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 with a fourth-round submission. The South African beat Strickland in a rematch by unanimous decision at UFC 312 to extend his win streak to 11. Chimaev quickly gained UFC lore when he joined the organization in 2020 and secured three finishes in 66 days. However, Chimaev struggled with illness and became less active. Despite this, he continues to instill fear in his opponents with his violent finishes, including shattering middleweight contender Robert Whittaker's jaw with a face crank submission in his last fight at UFC 308 in October 2024. 'This fight is massive and Khamzat is an incredibly good fighter, but what people are going to be saying is the same thing they said after every single one of my fights: He did it again," Du Plessis said. "I will not doubt him again, same old, same old.' Chimaev has a simple plan for Saturday and is done with all of the pre-fight talk. 'Whatever he says, I don't care about. All of the fighters talk, but nothing is going to change," Chimaev said. "Everyone has to fight in the cage anyway. Whatever he says, I don't care about. I come here to beat him up and take my money and go home.' Even with the middleweight championship on the line for the two 31-year-old fighters, the bout serves as a legacy for both men and the UFC. 'You have two of the best in the world right now, in their prime, for the title. This is one of the best fights we've had in a long time,' UFC president Dana White said Thursday at a raucous news conference attended by fight fans, who heavily booed Du Plessis. Chimaev had to pull out of a fight with Leon Edwards in December 2020. It was first rescheduled in 2021 and then rescheduled for March 2021, but Chimaev was not healthy enough to fight. He was unable to make weight for a welterweight fight against Nate Diaz at UFC 279 in September 2022 and was rescheduled to a 180 catchweight fight against Kevin Holland on the same night. 'It's good to see that my opponent is healthy. All of the questions are about whether he is going to show up. It never bothered me, but I know it was a question for everyone,' Du Plessis said. 'I think it is the hype of this fight. People want to see the two best fighters in the world go at it. And that's why this fight is so big. A lot of times it's just not possible to get the two best guys right now because one is injured, and sometimes the two best guys in the world don't want to fight each other.' Chimaev, who has dual citizenship in Russia and the United Arab Emirates, has had at least one takedown in seven of his eight fight appearances. 'If this fight is only on the ground, so be it. If this fight is only in the clinch, let's go for it. And if this fight is an all-out brawl in the middle of the octagon, please let's go for that,' Du Plessis said. In the co-main event, featherweight challenger Lerone Murphy (16-0-1) will square off against Aaron Pico (13-4). Murphy is taking the fight on short notice to face off against the UFC newcomer. Pico, 28, is making his UFC debut after coming over from Bellator. He was known as a prodigy in the sport. The California native was the top high school wrestler in the country and also a National Junior Golden Gloves Champion. But it didn't come easy. In his first fight, Pico was submitted by Zach Freeman in only 24 seconds at Madison Square Garden in June 2017. 'I can laugh about it now, but back then it wasn't funny. Yeah, I haven't had an easy road to get here,' Pico said. "I really had to dig deep and ask myself if this is something I really wanted to do. And the answer was always yes, there was never an option to quit.' Pico was scheduled to make his UFC debut on July 26 against Movsar Evloev, but Evloev had to pull out because of injury. The UFC scrambled to find another fight for Pico, and Murphy was eager to accept three weeks ago, despite the pros and cons. 'I'm a technician so the longer I can study somebody and work on certain things the better," Murphy said, "but in terms of body health, a 12-week camp is a long time.'
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Can champ Dricus Du Plessis become first to solve Khamzat Chimaev puzzle at UFC 319?
South African middleweight champ DDP goes after third title defense in Chicago MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in the UFC. Today, he takes a closer look at the UFC 319 main event title fight between middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev. Dricus Du Plessis UFC 319 preview Staple info: Supplemental info: Khamzat Chimaev UFC 319 preview Staple info: Supplemental info: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev point of interest: Chaotic combat The main event for UFC 319 features a middleweight title fight between two fighters who thrive inside of chaos. A marauding madman from South Africa, Dricus Du Plessis is a deceptively well-prepared fighter with a style that can be difficult to get a beat on. Fueled by unbridled confidence and an insane athletic drive, discouraging Du Plessis appears to be a near-impossible task. Whether he's looking to counter off a high guard or is blitzing forward spastically, Du Plessis always appears to be focused on the task at hand. The current middleweight champion is also competent in both stances and regularly shifts to southpaw, which further flusters opponents who are already struggling to grasp his awkward timing. However, despite the steady improvements that Du Plessis has been displaying in his striking, he is not beyond being taxed down the centerline for his aggressiveness. Enter Khamzat Chimaev. Despite coming from a wrestling base, Khamzat Chimaev appears to be comfortable striking from both stances. The Chechen fighter can fire off snappy jabs from either side, which, in turn, help him follow up with power shots. Unless his opponent carries a decent grappling pedigree, Chimaev usually wastes little time extending striking exchanges before looking to change his levels and wrestle. However, in fights that are extended, we've seen Chimaev play a bit more with open-stance looks on the feet. Whether Chimaev is throwing his favored front kick or looking to line up a wicked right hand, he seems to be gaining a taste for open-stance affairs. That said, Chimaev's skills don't exactly shine through in the defensive department, so the 31-year-old will need to make sure he respects the offense from fellow stance-switcher, Du Plessis. Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev breakdown: Wrestler's wrath Considering the arguable crux of Chimaev's game, winning the wrestling will remain paramount for both parties. Wrestling since the age of five, Chimaev has seemingly adapted to the grappling arts like second nature. From a lightning-fast shot to incredible wherewithal within the clinch, the 10-year pro seems to have it all from a wrestling perspective. Chimaev shows a lot of the freestyle (and even Greco) looks that you would associate with his part of the world, yet also demonstrates a lot of the positional rides that traditionally come easier to American folkstyle wrestlers. And when Chimaev took the back of Li Jingliang at UFC 267, the Chechen fighter showed off some very competent jiu-jitsu to close to show via rear-naked choke. From early in his regional career to his battle with Gilbert Burns, Chimaev has shown solid submission and wrestling defense in multiple scenarios. Whether someone is looking for Chimaev's legs or attempting to re-guard, the product from the Allstars Training Center typically gives his opposition very little to work with – all while staying busy with offense of his own. Nevertheless, I still believe that Chimaev cannot afford to overlook Du Plessis' skills. Coming from a background in both judo and wrestling, Du Plessis is no stranger when it comes to the takedown aspect of mixed martial arts. Sure, there are certainly some failed lateral drop highlights that aren't the most flattering for Du Plessis if you dig deep enough, but the 31-year-old has his head in the right place in regards to timing and tactics. For example, Du Plessis may not prioritize position over submission in the classic sense, but the South African fighter is good about using said submissions to transition into superior positions that allow him to get off damage. Du Plessis is also good at using the cage to stand or create scrambles when it's available, and demonstrates other tools ranging from empty-half guard tactics to knee-to-elbow escapes when put on his back. And when building back to his base, Du Plessis is smart about keeping low underhooks when re-wrestling and swimming for singles – a small detail that could be the difference-maker against the front-choke counters from Chimaev. When Du Plessis can achieve top position, the current champ is a good guard passer who carries his own inter-play off front-choke threats, typically looking to establish damage whenever possible. However, I'm not sure how much top time "Still Knocks" will be seeing in this fight. Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev odds The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the challenger, listing Chimaev -245 and Du Plessis +194 via FanDuel. Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev prediction, pick Considering the unrelenting amount of hype that's been bestowed on Chimaev since touching down in the octagon, it's no surprise to see him favored over the sitting champion in this spot. Borderline uncomfortable glazing aside, Chimaev is an undeniably ferocious talent and the best first-round fighter we've seen since a prime B.J. Penn. Should Chimaev come out and immediately storm Du Plessis' proverbial castle with success, then none of us should be shocked if the Chechen fighter ends up finding the finish on his South African counterpart. Still, I can't help but wonder what happens if Du Plessis can survive considering his similar tactical choices to one Kamaru Usman – who was able to survive Chimaev's initial storm and show some potential holes in his game. Chimaev may not have been healthy for said outing opposite Usman, but that doesn't change the fact that we've yet to see "Borz" convincingly win a third frame, much less a fourth or fifth. Whereas Du Plessis, who is very familiar with five-round affairs, traditionally does well over 25 minutes due to his consistent output and ability to adjust. In fact, preparation and the ability to adjust appear to be a point of pride for both Du Plessis and his training camp. And though it can feel like you're watching an episode of "OZ" with the way Du Plessis interacts with his head coach, Morne Visser, in the corner, there's no denying their chemistry as they always appear to be dialed in on objectives regardless of how the fight is going. Despite Chimaev having multiple ways of winning this fight (including on the feet via his straight punches and body teeps), I still find myself siding with the underdog in Du Plessis. I don't disagree with Chimaev being favored to win, but I can't help but lean toward the more proven product who doesn't mind having to be the nail en route to winning. A quick finish wouldn't shock me if Chimaev can get to his favored positions fast, but I believe that the challenger's lack of pacing control will cost him come the middle rounds if his gambits fail to produce dividends. It's not a popular pick, but I'll officially side with Du Plessis to survive early and pull away down the stretch to force a stoppage in Round 4. Prediction: Du Plessis inside the distance Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev start time, how to watch As the main event, Du Plessis and Chimaev are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 12:15 a.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on pay-per-view via ESPN+.
USA Today
15 hours ago
- USA Today
UFC champ Dricus Du Plessis impressed with state of middleweight
CHICAGO – UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis sees a plethora of contenders in his division. Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) will look to notch his third title defense when he takes on Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 319 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main event at United Center in Chicago. Two of Du Plessis' middleweight title fights came in wins over Sean Strickland, and the South African champion is happy to have fresh blood coming up. "Man, what a time to be the middleweight champion of the world," Du Plessis told reporters at media day. "It's an exciting division, and I love it. I love it because there's a lot of guys in the division, there's a lot of movement, and there's so many guys putting up their hand to be at the top of the division. "But after this, not somebody necessarily putting their hand up to be the next No. 1 contender, and that's exciting because there's four guys, immediate guys that I can think of that are right there. Any one of them can be that guy, but I think between them, they're all going to sort it out pretty quickly, and that's exciting." Anthony Hernandez scored a dominant submission of Roman Dolidze in this past Saturday's UFC on ESPN 72 headliner. Last month, Reinier de Ridder outlasted Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 9, and next month Nassourdine Imavov meets Caio Borralho in the Sept. 6 main event in Paris. "Anthony Hernandez, I have to say," Du Plessis said on who has stood out the most. "His last fight against Doldize was very, very impressive. Of course the fight with RDR and Whittaker, that was a big test for him, but it was a very, very, very close fight. Some could say dodgy decision, others say it's the right decision. I don't even have an opinion on the decision. "If they gave that fight to Rob, I would 100 percent agree. If they gave it to RDR like they did, I 100 percent agree. It's one of those fights, but Hernandez was the one. Obviously Dolidze was ranked No. 9 when they fought, but he looked incredible in that fight. He looked incredible. Nobody's ever done that to Dolidze."
