The biggest UFC fight of the year is one month away.
Middleweights take center stage at UFC 319 as champion Dricus du Plessis is set to defend his title against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev on Aug. 16 in Chicago.
Du Plessis and Chimaev are both undefeated in the UFC. The champion has wins over Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland (twice), and Robert Whittaker. Chimaev got a title shot after back-to-back victories over former champions Kamaru Usman and Whittaker.
The highly-anticipated middleweight title fight is one of the most interesting stylistic matchups we’ve seen in recent memory. The unorthodox Du Plessis is very well-rounded and has always found a way to win while Chimaev is as skilled as they come with his insane pedigree in wrestling and grappling.
Who comes out on top in Chicago? A former champion who’s trained with both fighters has shared his insight.
Luke Rockhold says Khamzat Chimaev isn’t ‘five-round material’
Chimaev has never made it to the championship rounds in the UFC.
The undefeated fighter has only seen the third round twice in his career and those were hard-fought decision wins over Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman.
Chimaev being the strong starter he is, former UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold questions if du Plessis will survive his onslaught in the first two rounds.
“He’s a f—— beast,” Rockhold said of Chimaev on Submission Radio.
“He’s a wrestler. He’s a grappler. He’s gonna get relentless pressure. He’s gonna start fast and hard.
“Can Dricus take [those] first two rounds? That’s what life’s about for his opponents.
“Can he withstand the barrage? Because he’s gonna break you…”
But, what happens to Chimaev if du Plessis doesn’t break?
“I don’t like those opportunities for him,” Rockhold said of Chimaev’s chances if du Plessis makes it to the later rounds.
“I’ve trained with DDP a lot. He’s tough. He ain’t gonna go away.
“You gotta dominate him from start to finish, or you gotta finish him early. I just don’t see how Khamzat’s gonna keep that pressure. His intensity, you can only keep that for so long. That’s not five round material,” Rockhold claimed.
“DDP is tough. He’s tough as f—— 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 a– striking, but it f—— works,” Rockhold said of du Plessis’ game.
Luke Rockhold makes boxing debut against Darren Till on Aug. 30
As for his own fighting career, the former UFC and Strikeforce champion is set to enter the boxing ring later this summer.
Rockhold headlines Misfits Boxing 22 on Aug. 30 against fellow UFC veteran Darren Till.
This is Rockhold’s pro boxing debut. The 40-year-old Rockhold has fought in bareknuckle boxing previously, where he lost to Mike Perry in his first post-UFC fight in 2023. Rockhold is coming off a TKO win over Joe Schilling at Karate Combat 45 in Apr. 2024.
His opponent Darren Till is a former UFC title challenger and a teammate of Khamzat Chimaev’s. Till is 3-0 as a boxer.
Also on the card is former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson in his first post-UFC appearance against influencer Salt Papi.