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Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sean Strickland makes 'hands-down' Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev prediction
Sean Strickland is familiar with both middleweight title-fight headliners at UFC 319. Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) defends his middleweight title when he takes on undefeated Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the Aug. 16 main event at United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). Advertisement Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) lost to Du Plessis twice in title fights – once by split decision at UFC 297 then in a more definitive decision at UFC 312. He also trained with Chimaev before at Xtreme Couture. With insight on both men, Strickland broke down the title fight. "They can grapple," Strickland said of Chimaev in an interview with Helen Yee. "Someone like me, I've been training these f*ckers for years. I usually could counter-wrestle and grapple them. So, I just don't know if f*cking Dricus can be able to counter-wrestle him. But if he can, I think he wins, hands down. I sparred the f*cking Chechen wh*re. Hands down, I think Dricus wins. It's just going to come down to are you going to be able to stop that and counter-wrestle him? You can. It's not hard." As for what's next for Strickland, the former champion has his sights set on settling his grudge match with ex-UFC welterweight champ Belal Muhammad. He admitted his interest in rematching Israel Adesanya is not high, but would do it if the fight was offered. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 319: Sean Strickland makes 'hands-down' Du Plessis-Chimaev pick
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 319 headliner
Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis will look to extend his title reign when he takes on undefeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev preview Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) seeks to defend his middleweight title for the third time. The South African became champion in a split decision over Sean Strickland at UFC 297. He successfully defended against former champ Israel Adesanya, winning by submission in the fourth round at UFC 305. In his most recent outing, Du Plessis won a unanimous decision against Strickland in a title rematch at UFC 312. Advertisement Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is coming off arguably his most impressive outing to date, a first-round submission finish of former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. The Chechnya-born middleweight has been labeled a future champion since stepping onto the UFC scene, a forecast he supported by finishing his first four opponents and earning bonuses in his first five appearances. Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev odds According to DraftKings, Du Plessis is a +164 underdog to retain his title against unbeaten challenger Chimaev, who's a -198 favorite. How to watch Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 Where: United Center, Chicago Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view When: Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025 This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev UFC 319 odds
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Incoming khamzat crying spree' - Fans speculate mental war as Khamzat Chimaev takes an unapologetic shot at Dricus Du Plessis' coaches
With a history of rigorous trash talk before their bout, middleweight fighters Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev have started raising the expectations of the fans for their upcoming bout at . The headline event will see Dricus defending his title for the third time, and Chimaev, with his undefeated pro-MMA record, fighting to secure the same. While the fighters have been constantly taunting each other, Chimaev's latest dig at Dricus's coach has taken the internet by storm, resulting in a mental war speculation by the fans. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Known for their war of words, Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus Du Plessis raise fa expectations with their pre-fight banter ahead of UFC 319 B oth Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev are known for their ways of getting into the opponent's head before their scheduled bout. The infamous incident where Sean Strickland asked one of the audience members to step aside to jump on and hit Dricus is still fresh in the minds of the fans at UFC 296. Chimaev, while racking up an undefeated record of 14-0, has also stepped out of line in taunting his opponents in the past. The fighter's recent post sheds light on the ways he could go in waging a mental war against his opponents. Chimaev, on the social media platform X, posted a picture of Dricus with his coaches while captioning it with doughnut emojis followed by a laughing emoji. The picture dates back to the time when Dricus secured the middleweight championship belt against Strickland at UFC 297. Borz's post generated a significant reaction from the fans as a section of them believes that Dricus will undoubtedly retain the championship belt post the headline event. One of the users wrote, 'That's gonna be the exact photo after the fight, Dricus still holding his belt' Another user wrote, expecting a banter between the fighters, 'I hope this tweet doesn't get deleted, I'll be here for another banger exchange' Fans are quite confident about Dricus' capabilities both in war of words as well as inside the cage. Indicating this, one of them wrote, 'You better quit while your hole isn't as deep. You're never winning a twitter war with DDP. Prepare to get clowned on here and in the cage.' "Incoming khamzat crying spree" Also read: As of this writing, Dricus has not yet responded to the tweet. The duo has been scheduled to face each other at UFC 319 to be held on August 16, 2025. With the ongoing war of words between the two, fans are gearing up for a fiery head on clash at the main event.
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
UFC legend makes bold prediction for Khamzat Chimaev vs Dricus Du Plessis Clash
The highly-anticipated middleweight showdown is expected to take place later this summer, with many being left torn as to how the dust-up will play out UFC legend Chael Sonnen insists Khamzat Chimaev will have a hard time taking Dricus Du Plessis down with ease ahead of their showdown. Dana White - the UFC chief - recently announced the blockbuster middleweight title fight - which is scheduled to take place on August 16 in Chicago. Du Plessis retained his title against Sean Strickland earlier this year, while the unbeaten Chimaev dominated ex-champion Robert Whittaker in his last outing. Despite Chimaev's spotless record and breathtaking performance history, Sonnen believes that the South African titlist won't be an easy target. Sonnen - a former UFC title challenger - acknowledges 'Borz' as the favourite but doesn't discount the current champion's resilience. Speaking on his official YouTube channel, the American: "How is he going to beat him? I am not fully confident that Chimaev can take him down at will. I'm not fully confident he can keep him there. We're gonna know in the very first round. If Dricus gets taken down in the first round, things are going to unravel very quickly. "But if he can defend a takedown for the entire first five minutes, it's only going to get easier after that. It's an exciting match, I would expect Chimaev to be the favourite, and he is." Michael Bisping has expressed his shock at the startling odds that peg Chimaev as the front-runner for this summer's clash. In fresh footage on his YouTube channel, the former middleweight champion stated: "The fact that they've got Dricus du Plessis as the underdog is insane. The man can wrestle, he's got great jiu-jitsu, he's big for the weight class, and more importantly, he has a gas tank. He has had no problems going five rounds. "The two times Khamzat went to a decision was when he couldn't get the finish in the first or second round. That's when Gilbert Burns started to take over. That's when Kamaru Usman had a lot of success and settled the score and it almost came out as a draw. And now it's not three rounds, it's five rounds. The way that Khamzat Chimaev fights is the way that he fights. He ain't going to change. If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Ex-UFC champ Sean Strickland, who has sparred with Chimaev and battled du Plessis across 10 gruelling rounds in their two title contests at UFC 297 and UFC 312, is well-versed in the abilities of both fighters. With the bout approaching, the American middleweight sensation is predicting Du Plessis will be the one to finally put a stop to 'Borz' inside the octagon. "They can grapple," Strickland commented on Chimaev during a chat with Helen Yee. "Someone like me, I've been training these blokes for years, I usually could counter-wrestle and grapple them. So, I just don't know if Dricus can be able to counter-wrestle him. But if he can, I think he wins, hands down." He further added: "I sparred the Chechen. Hands down, I think Dricus wins. It's just gonna come down to - are you gonna be able to stop that [takedown] and counter-wrestle him? You can. It's not hard."
USA Today
16-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 319 headliner
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 319 headliner Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis will look to extend his title reign when he takes on undefeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev preview Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) seeks to defend his middleweight title for the third time. The South African became champion in a split decision over Sean Strickland at UFC 297. He successfully defended against former champ Israel Adesanya, winning by submission in the fourth round at UFC 305. In his most recent outing, Du Plessis won a unanimous decision against Strickland in a title rematch at UFC 312. Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is coming off arguably his most impressive outing to date, a first-round submission finish of former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. The Chechnya-born middleweight has been labeled a future champion since stepping onto the UFC scene, a forecast he supported by finishing his first four opponents and earning bonuses in his first five appearances. Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev odds According to DraftKings, Du Plessis is a +164 underdog to retain his title against unbeaten challenger Chimaev, who's a -198 favorite. How to watch Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 Where: United Center, Chicago Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view When: Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025
