Eddie Alvarez doesn’t see himself betting in opposition to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319, however that doesn’t imply he’s counting out Dricus Du Plessis.
Emanating from the United Heart in Chicago, Du Plessis will put his middleweight world title on the road in opposition to ‘Borz’ on August 16 in a bout that appears to have the MMA world break up down the center. On one hand, you’ve bought a champion who has repeatedly defied the chances. Then there’s Chimaev, an undefeated Chechen monster with 12 finishes in opposition to 14 whole wins.
Who comes out on prime is anybody’s guess, however ‘The Underground King’ finds himself leaning in the direction of Chimaev ever-so barely.
“I believe it’s arduous to guess in opposition to Chimaev for me,” Alvarez advised Helen Yee. “The man’s a powerhouse, however… Dricus is like this odd character for me. It doesn’t look aesthetically good, however he will get the job accomplished. His conditioning is loopy. He finds a method no matter the way it appears.”
Because it stands, Chimaev is a 2-to-1 favourite to depart Chi-City with the 185-pound, whereas Du Plessis is a +160 underdog.
In fact, that’s a well-recognized spot for the South African, who opened as a canine in earlier outings in opposition to Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland, and Israel Adesanya.
Chimaev’s title shot in opposition to du Plessis has been a very long time coming
As for Chimaev, will probably be the Chechen’s first UFC title alternative after incomes massive wins over the likes of Gilbert Burns, Kamaru Usman, and Robert Whittaker. In actuality, Chimaev’s shot at gold ought to have come some time again, however an enormous weigh-in gaffe in September 2022 prompted the promotion to push ‘Borz’ from welterweight to middleweight.
Since then, he’s added three extra wins to his resume, touchdown because the third-ranked contender within the middleweight division, and scoring himself a extremely anticipated showdown with Du Plessis.
