How to watch Dricus du Plessis defend his title against Khamzat Chimaev this weekend
Image: Photo: AFP
South Africa's UFC champion Dricus du Plessis is stepping back into the octagon this weekend for what could be the toughest fight of his career..
In the headline fight of UFC 319 in Chicago, Stillknocks is set to defend his UFC world middleweight title against undefeated Khamzat Chimaev of Russia.
This will be Du Plessis' first fight since his unanimous decision win over Sean Strickland at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia, in February.
The fight, at the United Center in Chicago, is scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 16, and will be broadcast at 4 a.m. SA time the following Sunday. It will be shown on SuperSport Action and Maximo 1. The exact time of the fight, though, will be determined by the length of the preliminary bouts on the night.
Get your news on the go, click
here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Next
Stay
Close ✕
The fight against Chimaev will be Du Plessis' biggest test since taking the championship belt off Strickland in January last year. Since then, he's defended it against Israel Adesanya and Strickland, and has become a favourite among UFC fans around the world.
The 31-year-old Du Plessis is undefeated in nine UFC fights. To find the last time he lost a fight, you would have to go all the way back to 2018, when he was beaten by Roberto Soldić in a KSW welterweight bout at KSW 45 in London. His only other loss came in 2014 against Garreth McLellan at EFC 33 in Johannesburg.
Speaking earlier this week, Du Plessis said he wanted to be regarded as one of the greatest of all time in his sport.
'To be the greatest, it's not how many guys you beat or how long you were at the top; it's about who you beat while you were there,' said Du Plessis.
'I don't want to be the guy who held the belt and [beat] selected opponents. I want to fight the best of the best and that's what I've been doing.
'Every time you step in there, you're going to face the next most dangerous guy… once again, I'll show my improvements and why I am the champion.'
By Sunday morning, the champion will know if he is still the best in the world.
IOL Sport
Get your news on the go, click
here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
5 hours ago
- The South African
Dricus du Plessis booed by crowd ahead of UFC 319 fight
Reigning Middleweight World Champion Dricus du Plessis has shaken off the boos of a hostile crowd ahead of his fight against Khamzat Chimaev at the UFC 319 event on Saturday, 16 August. The 31-year-old South African will defend his title against his Russian opponent at the United Centre in Chicago. Last January, the Pretoria MMA fighter beat the US's Sean Strickland in a split decision to win the coveted title. A few months later, in August, he defended it against Nigerian-born fighter Israel 'Izzy' Adesanya, whom he beat via submission. Earlier this year, in February, he beat Strickland again in a rematch. On Thursday, 14 August, Dricus du Pless and Khamzat Chimaev made their appearance at a press conference ahead of their UFC 319 main event fight. Dricus – considered the underdog – was asked about his state of mind going up against the Russian fighter, who has been undefeated in his last 14 matches. The crowd consisted of fans of his opponent, who loudly booed the South African. Dricus casually stated, 'I've walked into every fight, especially as the main event, and heard this from the crowd. But guess what? I walked out the best every single time Addressing the hostile crowd, he added, 'That was one of the best boos I've heard. Well done. You'll run out of steam quickly, don't worry. I've seen this before. Remember this on Saturday.' Dricus du Plessis revealed that he was unfazed about going up against an undefeated MMA fighter. He continued: 'I'm the world champion. He hasn't fought a world champion. He's fought a former world champion, but he hasn't fought a world champion. 'Now he's coming into this fight for five rounds. I've proven that I can go crazy for one round, or I can go crazy for five rounds.' Praising his opponent, Dricus added of Khamzat Chimaev: 'He is an incredible fighter. 'Nobody's been able to beat him. It's only 14 fights, but being a title challenger in the UFC, and no one's been able to figure him out, that's impressive'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
5 hours ago
- IOL News
Mikel Arteta hits back at criticism of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has faced calls to remove midfielder Martin Odegaard as the club's captain in favour of England international Declan Rice. Photo: Glyn Kirk/AFP Image: Glyn Kirk/AFP Mikel Arteta has slammed calls for Martin Odegaard to be stripped of the Arsenal captaincy by insisting there is "no question" the Norway midfielder is the right man to lead their Premier League title challenge. Former Arsenal skipper Tony Adams recently urged Arteta to give England midfielder Declan Rice the armband instead of Odegaard. But the Gunners boss mounted a strong defence of Odegaard's leadership qualities after revealing Arsenal's players had voted for him to be retained as captain. "My opinion is clear, and it's not just my opinion. It's all the staff and especially the players," Arteta told reporters on Friday. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ "I asked them to vote for the captain and I got the results yesterday. By a mile, by a big, big (margin), by 100 miles, everybody chose the same person, Martin Odegaard, which is the most clear sign that you can have. "It's how they feel about who has to be their captain, to defend, to improve, and win the matches that we want to win, so I think there is no question about that." Arsenal, who last won the English title in 2004, have finished as Premier League runners-up for the last three seasons and are without a trophy since the 2020 FA Cup. Their inability to last the pace in the title race has led to mounting questions about Arsenal's mental strength, with Odegaard among those in the firing line. Arsenal title winner Adams, quoted in the Irish Independent, said: "Every now and again as a manager, you have to put someone who reflects you, who reflects the football club, that you think can actually take you to the next level. "You've got someone in there who's going to play every game all season, that's going to encourage people to come in and lay the foundations of a title-winning team. "Declan Rice can do that, Odegaard can't. Come on Arteta, make him captain." But former Arsenal captain Arteta said he could talk about leadership "for hours" and had no doubts about Odegaard's ability to inspire his team-mates. "What matters the most is how these guys feel about who needs to lead them, how they feel comfortable, who is going to push them, who is going to give them support when it's happening," he said. Arsenal kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to Manchester United on Sunday, then host newly-promoted Leeds before a difficult stretch that will see them play champions Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle. Arteta admits that run will provide early evidence of their potential in the title race. "Yes, especially with the consistency that we showed in the last three years, and now the margins, we know how small they are," he said. "We know that the competition has increased the level with recruitment, with another year together." Arteta confirmed close-season signings Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi will be fit to play at Old Trafford on Sunday. AFP
IOL News
6 hours ago
- IOL News
Victory against Chimaev is no different to any of my preceding victories, says Du Plessis
Dricus du Plessis aims to prove his status as the Greatest Of All Time in the UFC Middleweight division as he faces Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. | AFP The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, emphasised that beating the number three-ranked middleweight fighter Khamzat Chimaev will carry the same weight as beating any of his opponents in the UFC thus far, despite Chimaev being highly rated. Du Plessis will face Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago in the early hours on Sunday morning (South African time), a fighter that many consider to be "The boogeyman" of the UFC. Because of the dominant nature of the majority of Chimaev's victories in the UFC, coupled with his unbeaten record in his career, many fighters fear him, making him one of the highly rated fighters that the South African has faced in his career. However, despite all the aforementioned reasons, Du Plessis made it clear that beating Chimaev does not carry any more weight than beating Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland or any of his opponents in the UFC. The trash talk king added that Chimaev has been respectful to him, a feat that contributed in the lack of trash talk or banter in the pre-fight press conference on Friday. "This will mean for me exactly what it meant to beat every other guy before this. It's not about the opponent, it's not about who I face, it's about defending this belt every time somebody steps up to try and take it from me. That's all that matters to me," said Du Plessis. "This is the first time meeting him this week. I don't know the man. He seems respectful up until now, that's why there's no trash talk."
