‘He finds a way' – Israel Adesanya makes surprise prediction for Dricus Du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319
The Last Stylebender's old belt will be on the line early on Sunday morning when defending champion Dricus Du Plessis locks horns with the surging Khazmat Chimaev.
6
6
6
Du Plessis has yet to taste defeat inside the octagon since making his debut nearly five years ago and has already banked two title defences.
But the South African slugger is the UNDERDOG going into his clash with Russian wrecking machine Chimaev, who has also run roughshod since making his promotional debut.
Many MMA fans believe this weekend will usher in the Chimaev era at middleweight and be his coronation as one of the faces of the UFC.
Adesanya, 36, was blown away by the Chechen clubber's brutal blowout victory over fellow former champion Robert Whittaker last October.
But he's not ruling out the prospect of the highly unorthodox Du Plessis getting the job done, just as he did in their grudge match last August.
In an exclusive interview SunSport, the Nigerian-born New Zealander said: "I think Khamzat showed me why he's the f***ing animal at 185 with that Rob fight.
'But, DDP [Dricus Du Plessis], finds a way [to win]. He's so stubborn.
'He's got strong willpower and he finds a way.'
SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN
6
6
Adesanya hasn't set foot inside the octagon since his second-round TKO loss to surging contender Nassourdine Imamov in February.
Defeat to the Frenchman was the fan favourite's third in a row, the previous of which came at the hands of Du Plessis and Sean Strickland.
Israel Adesanya provides major update on UFC return and opens door to two mega fights amid fans' calls for retirement
The two-time 185lbs king faced strong calls to retire after his latest loss, but has well and truly shut down the prospect of hanging up his gloves.
And after having some well-deserved R&R, he's itching to make the walk to the cage again.
Ahead of his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame, Adesanya said: "Oh yeah [the itch has returned].
'I sparred with Kamaru [Usman] in Miami when Volk [Alexander Volkanovski] got his belt back.
6
'And that was my first sparring back.
"I took some time out to just, you know, chill and let the brain relax.
'And yeah, I just knew straight away. So I've been itchy for a while, bro. I'm ready to go!'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Former Australia captain and coach Simpson dies at 89
SYDNEY, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Former Australia test captain Bob Simpson, who ushered in the country's modern-day golden era of cricket as its coach, has died aged 89, Cricket Australia said on Saturday. Simpson played 62 tests between 1957 and 1978, scoring 4,869 runs, including 10 hundreds, and claimed 71 wickets with his leg spin following his debut on a tour of South Africa. Simpson, one of the greatest slip fielders the game has ever seen, initially retired from the game in 1968 before returning as test captain at the age of 41 after several front-line Australian players had joined the World Series Cricket in 1977. "Bob Simpson was one of the greats of Australian cricket, and this is a sad day for anyone fortunate to have watched him play or who benefited from his wisdom," said Cricket Australia Chair Mike Baird. "As a brilliant opening batter, incredible slips fielder and handy spin bowler, Bob was a mainstay of a very strong Australian team in the 1960s, and he became a leader across the game as Australian and New South Wales captain and as a coach." "Bob's decision to come out of retirement to successfully lead the Australian team during the advent of World Series Cricket in 1977 was a wonderful service to the game, and his coaching set the foundation for a golden generation for Australian cricket." As coach, Simpson is credited with instilling discipline in an Australia side led by Allan Border, which went on to win the 1987 World Cup and regained both the Ashes and the Frank Worrell Trophy. Leg-spin great Shane Warne called Simpson the best coach he played under and someone who helped his development. Simpson also coached Lancashire and the Netherlands and worked as a consultant with the Indian team in the late 1990s. "Bob Simpson's extraordinary service to Australian cricket spanned generations," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote on X. "As a player, captain and then era-defining coach, he set the highest of standards for himself and the champions he led. He will be long remembered by the game he loved."
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Bob Simpson, former Australia cricket captain and coach, dies aged 89
Bob Simpson, former Australian cricket captain and coach, has died at the age of 89. Simpson was an influential figure in Australian cricket for more than four decades as a player, captain, coach and commentator, after making his Test debut in South Africa in 1957. He played 62 Tests and captained Australia across two stints, the second after coming out of retirement at the age of 41 to lead the side during the World Series Cricket era. Simpson later became the nation's first full-time coach and helped guide the side's reemergence in the 1980s and into one of the cricket powerhouses during the following decade. Alongside captains Allan Border and Mark Taylor, Simpson was at the helm as Australia won the 1987 World Cup, regained the Ashes in England in 1989, and defeated the West Indies away from home in 1995. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion More to follow …
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Reuters
UFC 319: Khamzat Chimaev heavily backed to beat Dricus du Plessis
August 15 - CHICAGO -- UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis will battle his opponent as well as what figures to be a hostile crowd when he defends his title against Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319 at the United Center on Saturday. At the pre-match promotion on Thursday, du Plessis was faced with a gathering of mostly Chimaev supporters. The 31-year-old South African champion will be fighting on U.S. soil for the first time since 2023, a year after his 31-year-old Russian challenger last competed in the United States. du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC), the +200 underdog by BetMGM against the undefeated Chimaev (14-0, 8-0), kept a rather calm demeanor on Thursday and did his best to drown out the boos, even though it wasn't an easy task. UFC is returning to Chicago for the first time since June 2019 and this will be the third middleweight title fight hosted in Illinois since 2008. du Plessis is making his third title defense since becoming the champ by defeating Sean Strickland on a split decision in January 2024. He subsequently won by submission over Israel Adesanya in UFC 305 last August, then beat Strickland again by decision in February at UFC 312. "I think it's the fact that I want to go out there and fight the best," du Plessis said. "Remember when you're cheering Saturday night." Although Chimaev kept his composure while letting the crowd express itself on his behalf, he did offer one bold prediction for fight night. "Africa never gonna see the belt again. Sorry guys," Chimaev said. Chimaev opened as the -190 favorite but has seen those odds shorten significant to -250 with the public backing him with 77 percent of the money wagered on the winner. du Plessis, meanwhile, has drawn 65 percent of the total bets since opening at +155. The book reported that 53 percent of all bets and 51 percent of all the money wagered on the UFC 319 card have been placed on this fight. The most-bet prop has been du Plessis to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification at +525. The second-most popular? A Chimaev win by submission at +125. The middleweight bout headlines a 13-fight card, with the ESPN+ pay-per-view portion beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Lerone Murphy (16-0-1, 8-0-1) vs. Aaron Pico (13-4, 0-0), featherweight Murphy has yet to lose in the UFC, but still finds himself as the underdog to an opponent making his promotion debut. Murphy, 34, has beaten Edson Barboza, Dan Ige and Josh Emmett in his last three times in the Octagon. Pico, 28, has won nine of his past 10 fights, with the lone loss coming due to injury. Murphy has the veteran guile while Pico has the clear edge in power to go with excellent wrestling skills. Pico has drawn 62 percent of the money as the -170 favorite at BetMGM, while Murphy has been backed by 58 percent of the bets at +140. Geoff Neal (16-6, 8-4) vs. Carlos Prates (21-7, 4-1), welterweight This is a fight that was originally scheduled to take place at UFC 314 in Miami. Neal, 34, is coming off a knee injury suffered in a fight against Rafael Dos Anjos last October and is a veteran welterweight contender. Meanwhile, Prates is coming off a decision loss to Machado Garry that broke an 11-fight win streak. Prates has drawn 86 percent of the money and 56 percent of the bets as the -235 favorite to beat Neal, who has shifted from +225 to +190. Jared Cannonier (18-8, 11-8) vs. Michael Page (23-3, 2-1), middleweight The winner of this fight could be in line to face the winner of Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho in Paris. Cannonier snapped a two-fight skid with a finish of Gregory Rodrigues earlier this year, while the 38-year-old Page handed Shara Magomedov his first middleweight loss in his most recent fight. Page opened at -190 and is now -210 with the public backing him with 65 percent of the fight money. Cannonier (+170) has been supported by 63 percent of the total bets. Tim Elliott (20-13-1, 10-13) vs. Kai Asakura (21-5, 0-1), flyweight A pair of former title challengers take to the Octagon to begin the main card. Elliott is 7-6 over his past 13 fights, but this is his first since December 2023. Asakura moved from RIZIN to the UFC, only to be submitted by Alexandre Pantoja in the second round last December. Asakura has held steady as the biggest favorite on the main card, drawing 54 percent of the money at -325. Elliott has been backed by 54 percent of the bets at +260. --Field Level Media
