Sean Strickland believes he knows what the determining factor will be when Dricus du Plessis collides with Khamzat Chimaev.
In the main event of UFC 319, du Plessis will put the middleweight gold on the line against Chimaev. “Stillknocks” is attempting to secure his third successful title defense. Chimaev is looking to live up to the hype and finally cash in on the top prize at 185 pounds.
Strickland has been inside the Octagon with du Plessis twice and he knows what the champion’s strengths are. Still, he told Red Corner MMA that DDP must be prepared for one key aspect of Chimaev’s game if he expects to keep the UFC Middleweight Championship.
“Dricus has better standup than Chimaev, but Chimaev has pretty crazy grappling. I’ve been training with these Dagi f***ing t*rrorists my entire life. I know how to get up from these guys and withstand a storm…
…I don’t know if he [Dricus] has encountered that level of wrestling to where it might get him a little off guard. Dricus really has to be ready for an extreme amount of pressure on the ground. If he can withstand that, he’s gonna beat him [Khamzat].”
Going into UFC 319, many believe that Chimaev’s cardio could play a significant role in the title fight. While Dricus du Plessis has proven that he can go the distance in championship fights, Chimaev hasn’t had a chance to compete in the fourth and fifth rounds. If the bout reaches championship rounds, some feel that’s when DDP can truly take over and potentially finish the undefeated challenger.
Keep it locked on the BJPenn.com homepage for fight week tidbits leading up to the Aug. 16 event in Chicago. The day before UFC 319, we’ll be posting weigh-in results. On fight night, we’ll have you covered with live results and video highlights.
