Night Of Reckoning

Dricus Du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev via UFC.com

On August 16th, in Chicago, Illinois, Dricus Du Plessis will look to etch his name into the history books, with a victory over his toughest opponent to date, Khamzat Chimaev.

As Daniel Cormier said, with these two fighters being so different, in and out of the cage, their clashing traits will not only lead to a good fight, but a fun lead-up to the fight. The challenger, Khamzat Chimaev has bulldozed his way through the UFC, with an unblemished record to date. Chimaev has overwhelmed opponents with brute strength and elite wrestling, often finishing his opponents before they can even get their bearings. Chimaev’s trademark is the ability to finish fights in lightning quick fashion, and barring two obstacles, he has done just that. The gameplan for Chimaev is clear; take Du Plessis down in the early rounds and look for the submission.

However, as we’ve seen on countless occasions, the South African is the last to quit.

Du Plessis has dealt with criticism his whole career; sloppy technique, slow speed, and limited cardio; opponents should run through him with ease. However, if there’s one thing Du Plessis has taught us; is to never doubt him. With victories over former champions like Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, and Sean Strickland, Du Plessis suddenly finds himself amongst the all-time middleweight greats. Like his counterpart, Du Plessis relies on brute strength to control his opponents, and being an extremely formidable 185 pounder, he can account for subpar technique with heart and grit. 

Stylistically, this is as predictable as fights get. Chimaev will almost certainly dominate the early rounds with his wrestling, and as the champ admitted, he not only expects to be taken down, he welcomes it.

If Chimaev is able to overwhelm Dricus on the ground, the fight will conclude quickly. However, as we’ve seen against Gilbert Burns & Kamaru Usman, if Chimaev is brought into the latter stages of the fight, his pace halts and his wrestling dwindles.

If Du Plessis can survive the onslaught, push the fight, and set the pace in the championship rounds, his chances of success will skyrocket. For Du Plessis, his advantage will be on the feet. With power in his hands and an underrated kicking game, look for Du Plessis to utilize his patented question mark kick from both stances. The champ will have to keep the fight in the middle of the cage, and resist being pushed against the fence, as that’s where Chimaev operates best, in search of the takedown. 

Whoever emerges victorious from this contest will undoubtedly rule the middleweight division for a long period of time. This is the biggest fight of the year, and with polarizing styles coupled with both fighters being in their prime, fans are sure not to be disappointed on August 11th.

Predictions: Khamzat Chimaev → submission 

It was not easy to come to this verdict. However, after weeks of deliberation this is what we arrived at.

As said prior, the path to victory for both fighters is crystal clear. In the early rounds, it’s Chimaev’s fight, however as the contest extends, Du Plessis will have the advantage.

Despite this, we’ve seen Du Plessis taken down by the likes of Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson. In terms of the caliber of wrestling, these fighters are nowhere near Chimaev’s level. Du Plessis can’t make a single mistake in the first two rounds, or the fight will be finished, and the one flaw of the champion has been his technical abilities. His heart is unquestioned, but if he makes one wrong move, Chimaev will capitalize.