5 days ago
How to watch Dricus du Plessis defend his title against Khamzat Chimaev this weekend
No DNA, just RSA South Africa's UFC champion Dricus du Plessis will be defending his title against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 this weekend. Photo: AFP
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.
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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.
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