Khamzat Chimaev thinks one commonly held belief about Dricus du Plessis is incorrect after standing face to face with the UFC middleweight champion.
Chimaev is approaching his first title challenge on MMA’s biggest stage, which comes over five years after his dominance was first witnessed inside the Octagon.
Three wins in just three months looked set to catapult ‘Borz’ into a quick title shot, but a number of health and travel issues stalled the Chechen star’s rise. Now, after a weight miss in 2022 forced him up to middleweight, the unbeaten phenom’s chance has arrived.
Chimaev will challenge Du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319 this Saturday. During fight week, the pair ran into each other and had a respectful exchange.
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Khamzat Chimaev says Dricus du Plessis is not as big as people say
While reacting to footage of the meeting, which was posted on social media by the UFC, many pointed out how Chimaev appeared to loom large over Du Plessis.
‘Borz’ himself had the same takeaway from the moment, telling Daniel Cormier during a recent interview that the champ is far from as big as most people believe him to be.
“For me, it is nothing personal,” Chimaev said regarding the in-person interaction with Du Plessis. “We are just having fun…show them (the fans) a good show in the cage.
“He is not that big. People say he is like, big, big. No, not at all.”
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Dricus du Plessis thinks differently after Khamzat Chimaev interaction
Du Plessis did not reach the same conclusion as his upcoming challenger after their fight week meeting.
Speaking to Helen Yee after running into ‘Borz’, Du Plessis addressed concern over Chimaev’s size. While many saw the clip and believed the Chechen star to have a considerable advantage in that department, the South African believes the camera work deceived people.
“I mean, maybe it was the angle,” Du Plessis said.
“I haven’t seen the video, but I can promise you — you’ll see, you’ll see.
“I stood in front of him. He is definitely not taller than me,” Du Plessis continued. “Maybe a little; maybe like, half an inch. Yeah, you’ll see.
“And the other thing, I don’t give a s— how big he is. That’s not what wins fights. But yeah, I saw him, he is definitely not bigger than me.”