One half of the main event of UFC 319 is taking no risks ahead of August 16.
While some have claimed that it is unfair, a big narrative surrounding Khamzat Chimaev has been his cardio ahead of his first UFC title fight.
Many believe that this will be a crucial factor in Chicago, with lots of predictions stating that Dricus du Plessis will hold the advantage in the later rounds.
Another big concern that has been spoken about for several years of the undefeated challenger’s career has been the setbacks that he’s faced outside of the cage.
Daniel Cormier even claimed that he was told Chimaev was out of the fight at one stage with fans worried about whether one of the biggest fights of the year will stay together.
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Khamzat Chimaev says he’s tried to avoid too much public contact ahead of UFC 319 due to illness concerns
While Khamzat Chimaev was incredibly active when he first arrived in the UFC, which allowed him to instantly gain a lot of momentum, this slowed down at one stage.
‘Borz’ claimed in 2021 that he was retiring from the sport after lingering effects from COVID-19 led to several cancelled fights with Leon Edwards.
Dana White claimed that Chimaev was simply emotional before he made his return later that year but his health has continued to be an area of concern for the undefeated star.
His originally scheduled fight with Robert Whittaker in June of 2024 was pushed back to UFC 308 the following October due to illness, though it seems like he’s now been able to put this behind him.
The challenger recently made some comments that don’t necessarily mean that he’s still struggling from some of these issues, but clearly he’s taking steps to ensure that he’s healthy on fight night.
Chimaev revealed in an interview with ESPN MMA that he’s had strict instructions for him and his team to avoid unnecessary contact with people outside of their circle.
“I have to be ready, don’t get sick. That’s why I’m just saying to the boys, if we go to the mall, if somebody sick fan comes, maybe we get that sickness, so I have to be careful for that.”
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Fans are expecting Dricus du Plessis to use Chimaev’s concerns as ammunition during UFC 319 fight week
Fans had already joked ahead of UFC 319 that Dricus du Plessis would win ‘by better immune system’ in just one of many wacky predictions for the main event.
The reactions to Khamzat Chimaev’s comments being shared in a social media post clearly show that people are expecting the champion to bring up his opponent’s health during fight week.
Du Plessis has thrown several jabs at Chimaev about this in the past, but now he could have even more ammunition.
‘Hahaha, no way he is admitting that before the press conference.’
‘Ahh man can’t wait to hear what DDP has to say about this.’
‘DDP’s gonna make fun of his immune system.’