Reigning UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis admits he was nervous entering one high-profile fight.
“Stillknocks” has been adding to his impressive resume with two wins over Sean Strickland and a victory over Robert Whittaker. He has two successful title defenses and will be looking for a third in the main event of UFC 319 against Khamzat Chimaev on Aug. 16.
There is one fight that stands out to du Plessis, and it actually had him feeling nervous before entering the Octagon. During an interview with Betway, du Plessis admitted that Israel Adesanya was his toughest bout to date.
“My toughest opponent to date? That’s a very open-ended question because there were fights that were the hardest for me. I have to say probably Adesanya was the best guy I faced in his specific area, probably the fight I was the most nervous for just in terms of how good he is. He can catch you with anything, anytime. All the time I spent looking up to him and studying him because he was the benchmark. Knowing what he’s capable of, I think he is the best guy I faced and obviously if you watched that fight, it was one hell of a fight.”
Ultimately, du Plessis submitted “The Last Stylebender.” There was beef between the two ahead of fight night, but both men have showed mutual respect in the aftermath. Adesanya has shared his belief that du Plessis will thwart the challenge of Chimaev. At the moment, du Plessis is a slight betting underdog, which isn’t unfamiliar territory for “Stillknocks.”
BJPenn.com will keep you posted on the latest UFC 319 news ahead of the showdown between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev. We’ll be bringing you weigh-in results on the Friday before fight night. On the night of the event, peep our homepage for live results, video highlights, and post-fight tidbits.
