Dricus Du
Plessis’ opinion certainly holds water when it comes to
Khamzat
Chimaev and Sean
Strickland.
Chimaev is set to put his middleweight title on the line against
Strickland in the main event at
UFC 328 on May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Having shared the Octagon with both Chimaev and Strickland, Du
Plessis recently broke down how the fight might play out.
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While Du Plessis doesn’t doubt that Strickland will be taken down,
he believes the American is physically stronger than Chimaev and
has the skills to return to his feet. While Chimaev hits hard, Du
Plessis believes he is too predictable to catch someone like
Strickland, who is known for his defense, with a lucky shot.
According to Du Plessis, if Strickland gets up more than a couple
of times in the first two rounds, the fight won’t go Chimaev’s way.
However, Du Plessis thinks Chimaev will dominate if he can control
Strickland on the ground throughout the first round.
“I know Khamzat’s going to get him down,” Du Plessis told Fight
Forecast. “I’ve taken Strickland down so many times, I know
Khamzat’s going to get him down. But to keep him there, that’s
going to be the big question. Because Strickland’s ability to get
up, the technique he uses, the strength he has; he is a strong guy,
a lot stronger than Khamzat, physically. I think he is going to
surprise some people. If Strickland gets up two or three times in
that first round or the first two, it’s not going to get any easier
with the sweat and fatigue, trying to keep a guy down that gets up…
Once Khamzat has to fight Strickland’s fight, I just don’t think he
has a chance. Khamzat hits hard, kick hard, but not scary hard. And
he is kind of predictable; you can see the shots coming. If Khamzat
takes him down, holds him down that first round, and Strickland
cannot get up, it’s Khamzat’s fight… I think that first round is
going to tell us how that fight is going to play out.”
Du Plessis (23-3) dethroned Strickland (30-7) via a controversial
split decision to win the title in their first clash at
UFC 297 in 2024. Du Plessis defended his title more decisively
in a rematch against Strickland at UFC 312
last year. Meanwhile, Chimaev (15-0) dominated Du Plessis on the
ground for five rounds to win the title at
UFC 319 this past August.