Dricus du Plessis downplays claims that Khamzat Chimaev is bigger than him: ‘You’ll see’ at UFC 319

Dricus du Plessis has responded to those who think Khamzat Chimaev is significantly bigger than him.

Recently, footage surfaced of du Plessis and Chimaev exchanging pleasantries just days before their UFC 319 title fight. Some fans who watched the clip felt that Chimaev appeared to tower over du Plessis, while others pointed out fans were being duped by the angle of the video. The UFC “Embedded” team had a different angle of the brief meeting with du Plessis and Chimaev.

https://twitter.com/ChampRDS/status/1955649229939962245

During an interview with Helen Yee, du Plessis agreed that fans are making a big fuss over nothing (via MMAJunkie).

“I mean, maybe it was the angle,” Du Plessis told Helen Yee. “I haven’t seen the video, but I can promise you – you’ll see, you’ll see. I stood in front of him. He is definitely not taller than me. Maybe a little, maybe like, half an inch. Yeah, you’ll see. And the other thing, I don’t give a sh*t how big he is. It’s not what wins fights. But yeah, I saw him, he’s definitely not bigger than me.”

The UFC Middleweight Champion also said that there weren’t any heated words exchanged during his brief encounter with Chimaev. “Stillknocks” believes that both him and Chimaev realize that it’s about the spirit of competition.

“He was very respectful. He came over and said hello,” Du Plessis said. “I mean, the fight is happening on Saturday night. People aren’t paying to see this. Yeah, it could have gone either way. But now we know.”

Entering Saturday’s event, du Plessis will be in search of his third successful title defense. He’s already maintained his hold on the gold with wins over Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland. Chimaev is undefeated and has looked dominant in most of his bouts. There have been some exceptions with tough fights against Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns, and du Plessis is hoping to exploit holes in the challenger’s game.