Hype for the main event of UFC 319 reached fever pitch on Thursday night in Chicago.
While the likes of Demetrious Johnson have predicted Dricus du Plessis to successfully defend his middleweight title on Saturday night, he’s clearly not the fan favorite.
August 16 was already shaping up to be one of the biggest cards of the year but the fans who showed up for the fight week press conference only amplified this.
The hot Chicago crowd made it very clear that they’re backing Khamzat Chimaev to remain undefeated in his first UFC title fight.
Before du Plessis and Chimaev faced off for the first time, the defending champion took regular breaks during the press conference to wait out a chorus of boos.
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Belal Muhammad reacts to Dricus du Plessis receiving negative reactions from the fans in Chicago
While Dricus du Plessis stresses that he doesn’t try to intentionally play the role of the villain, he’s used to this being the case.
The South African has maintained that he only gives back the same energy that he receives and this was the case at the UFC 319 press conference.
After being met with overwhelming hostility, du Plessis played up to this, naturally becoming the heel and taunting the crowd whenever he got the chance.
A rival of the middleweight champion’s, who has exchanged insults with him on several occasions, seemingly took credit for this reaction.
Belal Muhammad posted a video on his YouTube channel one week ago where he called for his home city to let their feelings on ‘DDP’ be heard.
“Also, I heard Dricus is in Chicago. Bro, this is my city. Big card next week, huge main event. You need anything from Chicago, food, groceries, therapist, cage, gym, sauna, make sure you don’t hit me up. You’re not welcome here. Chicago, you see him, you let him know, we don’t like his kind. Go Khamzat [Chimaev].”
When a clip of du Plessis taking a long pause to listen to the crowd during the press conference was posted online, Muhammad shared his overjoyed reaction to the fans in Chicago doing exactly what he hoped.
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Dricus du Plessis mentioned Belal Muhammad when talking about why he trash talks other fighters
Just like he did with the Chicago crowd, Dricus du Plessis believes that he doesn’t approach any situation with the intention of antagonizing someone.
He spoke about this during a recent interview with The MMA Guru, where ‘Stillknocks’ justified why he has been critical of Belal Muhammad in the past.
“I don’t hate on anybody that is, obviously, I hate on Belal because he’s an absolute idiot… No, absolutely. I hate on Belal because he’s an a——. If you’re an a——, I’m going to hate on you.”
Given the middleweight champion’s track record for keeping receipts, this may not be the last time that Muhammad is mentioned during UFC 319 fight week.