Dricus Du Plessis opens up on hotel run-in with Khamzat Chimaev ahead of UFC 319: ‘Won’t be any antics’

Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev ran into each other at the fighter hotel ahead of UFC 319.

Du Plessis is set to defend his middleweight title in the main event of UFC 319 against Chimaev in a highly anticipated bout. In the lead-up, both have vowed they will finish the other, as both are confident.

However, despite the two taking shots at one another, when they met at the fighter hotel, Du Plessis and Chimaev were respectful to one another.

“It was super respectful. As I’ve always said, if my opponent is respectful, I’ll be respectful before the fight. It looks like there won’t be any antics unless something changes, but it was great. It’s good to see my opponent is healthy. All the questions about whether he would show up never bothered me, but I know it was a question for everyone,” Du Plessis said at UFC 319 media day.

As Dricus Du Plessis says, the main thing was that he was glad to see Khamzat Chimaev there, as he knows there is a ton of hype for this fight and wants the fans to see it. But, he says, the interaction was respectful, but that will change once they step into the Octagon.

Dricus Du Plessis doesn’t think Khamzat Chimaev is bigger than him

Despite Dricus Du Plessis being the middleweight champion, he is the underdog as many expect Khamzat Chimaev’s strength and size to be too much.

However, after meeting Chimaev, Du Plessis doesn’t think the size is much of a factor.

“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.”

Dricus Du Plessis enters UFC 319 with a record of 23-2 and is coming off a decision win over Sean Strickland.