Dricus du Plessis is clearly not very confident that his next opponent will make it into the Octagon on August 16.
The UFC’s middleweight champion is set to put his title on the line for the third time when du Plessis faces Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319.
Du Plessis has pushed for the Chimaev fight in recent times following the undefeated contender’s dominant win over Robert Whittaker last October.
This matchup saw ‘Borz’ finally put some health issues behind him with a triumphant return to the Octagon where he reminded fans what he’s truly capable of.
In order to prepare for anything happening to either man, the promotion has already put a backup fighter in place for UFC 319 in Chicago.
Dricus du Plessis jokes that he’ll be facing Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 319 instead of Khamzat Chimaev
An initial report from RMC Sport which stated that Nassourdine Imavov will weigh in as the backup fighter for UFC 319 has now been confirmed by several sources.
The #1-contender at 185 pounds will be making the trip to Chicago so that he can step into the main event if anything happens to either Dricus du Plessis or Khamzat Chimaev.
In recent times, the current middleweight champion has had a very reliable track record of making it to fight night despite battling some injuries that led to time off.
Injury and health setbacks have been a major talking point during Chimaev’s UFC career with his momentum being slowed significantly by the time that he has spent inactive.
The 31-year-old suffered lasting effects from COVID-19 with more significant concerns leading to his original matchup with Robert Whittaker in June of 2024 being canceled.
Fans are hopeful that Chimaev has turned a corner but this was always going to be used as ammunition for the defending champion who has become one of the UFC’s most prominent trash talkers.
Following the initial reports of Imavov being on standby, du Plessis joked that the promotion may as well make the switch ahead of time.
“Guess I’m fighting Nassourdine Imavov.”
Nassourdine Imavov trained with Khamzat Chimaev before trying to get a title shot before him
Following his knockout win over Israel Adesanya in February, Nassourdine Imavov believed that he deserved the next title shot.
Many believed that Khamzat Chimaev had already earned that opportunity, even if he didn’t get to fight for the title right away due to the rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland.
Imavov previously trained with Chimaev ahead of his fight with Brendan Allen where ‘The Sniper’ extended his win streak to three.
The French contender has previously called out du Plessis on social media for not providing the same opportunities that allowed ‘Stillknocks’ to become champion.