Former UFC champion breaks down upcoming Dricus du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev fight

Former UFC champion Luke Rockhold has given his thoughts on the upcoming Dricus du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev title fight.

Next month, Dricus du Plessis will defend his UFC middleweight championship against Khamzat Chimaev. It’s been a showdown that’s been a long time coming and now, we’re finally getting closer to settling this rivalry. While DDP has been a fantastic champion up to this point, Chimaev has seemingly been destined for the top ever since he first entered the promotion.

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Of course, in order to get through someone like du Plessis, he needs to put forward the best performance of his career. While some may feel as if Khamzat has faced tougher guys, Dricus has the ability to overcome the odds when very few expect him to do so.

In a recent interview, the aforementioned Luke Rockhold, who also held the middleweight belt, weighed in on how he things this one is going to play out.

Rockhold’s view on du Plessis vs Chimaev

“He’s a f*cking beast,” Rockhold told Submission Radio of Chimaev. “He’s a wrestler, he’s a grappler, he’s going to get relentless pressure. He’s going to start fast and hard. Can Dricus take that the first two rounds? That’s what life’s about for his opponents. Can he withstand the barrage? Because he’s going to bring it.”

“I don’t like those opportunities for him,” Rockhold said of Chimaev. “I’ve trained with DDP a lot. He’s tough. He ain’t going to go away. You’ve got to dominate him from start to finish, or you’ve got to finish him early. I just don’t see how Khamzat’s going to keep that pressure. His intensity, you can only keep that for so long.

“That’s not five-round material. DDP is tough. He’s tough as f*cking hell. People don’t give him a lot of credit. He’s just awkward, he’s got weird timing and rhythm and he’s good. He mixes it up. He’s very confident. He’s got good grappling, decent wrestling and some funky-ass striking, but it f*cking works.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie