Dricus du Plessis has preached respect for Khamzat Chimaev , but doesn't shy away from questioning his opponent's ability. The middleweights (up to 83,9kg) will clash in the main event of UFC 319, this Saturday (16), when the South African's belt will be at stake. With few fights lasting more than one round in the UFC, the 'Wolf' was targeted by the champion.
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“We entered the UFC at the same time. I’m on my third title defense. He’s fighting for his first title. Experience plays a role. Being there for five rounds, don’t tell me Chimaev isn’t going to say, ‘Yeah, I kill everybody. I crush everybody.’ Great. You know, in your head, you can’t fight at the pace you want when the third round comes. Doing that in training is completely different. Now, you’re in a fight,” said Dricus du Plessis during the taping of ‘UFC Unfiltered’.
"But we saw in the Whitaker fight that he's not going to do that. He came out fighting hard once again. So, in his mind, he has that doubt. I don't have that doubt... I know I can go in there and push the pace for five rounds if necessary," he added.
DDP admits special preparation to face Chimaev
In a candid statement, the South African avoided provocations and asserted that he had never trained so hard to face any opponent. The reason, according to Du Plessis, boils down to the fact that Chimaev is the toughest fighter he has ever faced in his career so far.
“I can say with 100% certainty that I have never worked as hard as I have for this fight. First, because I need to defend this belt and, second, because I need to prove something in this fight. And I know I'm facing the best fighter I've ever faced, Khamzat Chimaev ,” Dricus declared in an interview with the UFC.
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