Chimaev is Du Plessis' biggest fight to date, and South Africa's

IOL News

a day ago

The South African is set to fight Chimaev in Chicago next week at UFC 319 to mark what will be his third fight in exactly 12 months, an almost rare feat for an MMA fighter.
However, Du Plessis, as he has done throughout his career, has decided to stare straight into the eyes of adversity as he pushes to leave no doubt that he is indeed the best middleweight in the world.
With unmatched wrestling and grappling skills and the sheer strength of the man, fighters shiver and try to stay as far away from the Chechen-born fighter.
They call Chimaev "The boogeyman" of the UFC, and rightfully so. After all, the 31-year-old has rag-dolled every single one of his opponents since making his debut in 2020.
The South African MMA Star and UFC Middleweight Champion has been calling out Khamzat Chimaev since his first title defence, when he finished UFC Hall of Famer Israel Adesanya in Australia a year ago.
WHO calls out the most feared man in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, risking his belt, his legacy and unbeaten streak in the UFC?
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While Chimaev carries this cloud of intimidation, Du Plessis goes into the fight as the underdog, at least to the bookies.
Throughout his UFC career, the 31-year-old has been criminally underrated. Many have looked down on him for his 'unorthodox' fighting style and his 'poor' cardio at times.
To many, the South African just wasn't championship material, and they believed it was only a matter of time until he got put back in his place.
However, opponent after opponent, Du Plessis has silenced the noise as he became the first and only fighter to submit former champion Adesanya and knock out Robert Whittaker.
This time around, many still believe he will succumb to Chimaev's pressure inside the octagon.
However, the South African is confident to the point that he is offering the Chechen-born wrestler and grappler $10 000 for every takedown that he secures.
It is as if Du Plessis knows something that the world doesn't know, and who can blame him when he and the Morne Visser-led, Pretoria-based CIT team have been able to break down every opponent to date.
Despite his confidence, Du Plessis understands that this is the biggest fight of his life.
Concurrently, the 31-year-old understands that this fight carries a lot of weight for South Africa and for South African MMA.
What are the chances that the Professional Fighters League (PFL) would have debuted in South Africa last month and sold out if Du Plessis weren't the UFC champion?
The event in Cape Town last month painted a vivid picture of just how passionate South Africans are about MMA, and even the great Khabib Nurmagomedov approved.
This week, the PFL will host its second event in South Africa, Johannesburg, as South African MMA continues to shine.
All this attention on South African MMA sets the stage for Du Plessis to prove once again that South African MMA deserves respect.
The Chimaev fight is set for the United Centre in Chicago in the early hours of the 17th of August.