Darren Till has told Dricus Du Plessis that he could be finished as early as round one after Khamzat Chimaev made one key change.
Tonight in Chicago, the Swede will take on Du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319 in his long-awaited shot at gold. Since debuting with a stunning set of victories back in 2020, there has been a belief that Chimaev will inevitably compete for the belt.
And Till, his long-time teammate and close friend, reckons that a slight tweak to his training will make Chimaev unbeatable tonight. The pair were unable to link up in camp, with the Brit currently preparing in the UK for his August 30 Misfits Boxing pay-per-view bout with Luke Rockhold.
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Darren Till warns Dricus Du Plessis that Khamzat Chimaev has stopped over-training
The issue that has plagued Khamzat Chimaev throughout the early part of his UFC career was health issues outside of the octagon. Between weight misses and a case of covid so bad he briefly retired from the sport, his health has been a tougher opponent than any of the 14 men he has fought.
And one key element, which Darren Till and others could see in the gym, was his insistence on overtraining. The Swede would reportedly work out to the point of getting himself ill, even before making his UFC run.
“Arman Tsarukyan, a guy who Khamzat and I have trained with in Thailand, told me that he’s not over-training no more,” Till told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive chat. “So I think Khamzat’s going to be good for the five rounds.
“I’ve always trained extremely hard but then I reign it in, that’s one thing with Khamzat is he does overtrain. That’s not good either but that’s a part of learning and experience, he’s getting all that now and I just don’t see how he’s not going to win Saturday.
“But at the end of the day, this is going to be his hardest fight and opponent… It’s a great fight. I’m in Ireland because my sister is getting married but I’ll be hiding my phone under the table watching it and I can’t wait.”
Darren Till believes Khamzat Chimaev will stop Dricus Du Plessis inside one round
As for a prediction, Till believes that after getting his training just right, Chimaev will be able to land yet another quick stoppage and claim the belt.
“I’ve trained with Khamzat for two years and I fought Dricus, so I’m the best man to comment on this fight,” Till continued. “I have the most experience… Dricus is a phenomenal athlete and fighter, he is a proper fighting man.
“He’s weird, fighting skill-wise but I do see Khamzat beating him first or second round. I’m interested to see if it goes five rounds… It’s one of those fights that will have us on the edge of our seats and I can’t wait.
“If I had to break it down, Dricus is such a formidable force, he’s so strong. But Khamzat? He is relentless. It’s going to be like Hulk vs Thanos, I’m a big Avengers fan!”