Du Plessis chooses Chimaev as his 'biggest challenge' and admits he has never trained as much as he did for UFC 319

K. Chimaev faces D. Du Plessis in the UFC 319. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC

Towards the third title defense in the middleweight (up to 83,9 kg), Dricus du Plessis sharpens arsenal to appear this Saturday (16), in Chicago, in the main fight of the UFC 319. Pointed out by bookmakers as a big underdog for the match against Khamzat Shimaev, the South African does not hesitate to recognize the size of the challenge that lies ahead.

In a sincere stance, the South African avoided provocations and assured that he had never trained so hard to face an opponent. The reason, according to Du Plessis, comes down to the fact that Chimaev is the toughest fighter he has faced in his entire career thus far.

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"I can say with 100% certainty that I've never worked as hard as I did 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 Shimaev”, declared Dricus in an interview with UFC.

Dricus du Plessis is the UFC middleweight champion. Photo: Reproduction X/UFC News

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Undefeated in the UFC, Du Plessis is riding a nine-fight winning streak in the organization. Currently, he only Sean Strickland, on two occasions and Brad Tavares were the rivals who managed to take the duel to the judges' decision. The rest ended up being knocked out or submitted by the division champion.

On the other hand, Chimaev has never lost in his career. In total, the 'Wolf' has 14 wins, eight of which came in the UFC. Hoping to become the new king, the Emirati is preparing for his first title shot since joining the company. UFC 319 takes place this Saturday (16), in Chicago (USA).