Dricus Du Plessis weighs in on Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland title fight

TL;DR

Dricus Du Plessis believes Sean Strickland has a strong chance against Khamzat Chimaev in their upcoming title fight. He warns that overlooking Strickland could be a mistake, emphasizing the importance of the first round in determining the fight's outcome.

Key points

Dricus Du Plessis has fought both Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland.
Du Plessis warns against underestimating Strickland in the title fight.
The first round will be critical in determining the fight's outcome.

Dricus Du PlessisKhamzat ChimaevSean StricklandUFC 328

Who better to ask about the UFC 328 main event middleweight title bout between champion Khamzat Chimaev and former titleholder Sean Strickland than someone who's been in there with both of them?

Former champion Dricus Du Plessis holds two wins over Strickland but was completely dominated by Chimaev when they fought. When asked about the matchup, Du Plessis cautioned not to overlook Strickland.

"It's a very interesting fight. I think Strickland has such a good chance. I think people are overlooking him in this fight, and that would be a big mistake," Du Plessis told Fight Forecast.

"I think Strickland, the first round is going to tell us so much about this fight. If Khamzat can, listen, I know that Khamzat is going to get him down. Like I said, I've taken Strickland down so many times. I know Khamzat's going to get him down, but you keep him there. That's going to be the question because Strickland's ability to get up, the technique he uses, the strength he has - He's a strong guy, a lot stronger than Khamzat on a physical level - is really good. I think he's going to surprise some people," Du Plessis continued.

"If Strickland gets up two or three times in that first round, or the first two, it's not going to get any easier with the sweat and the fatigue. Tying to keep a guy down that gets up uses a lot more energy than the guy getting up."

If Strickland can fend off the takedown attempts of Chimaev and get back to his feet when taken down, Du Plessis believes he'll regain the belt. If he can not, it'll be a long night with Chimaev successfully defending the title

"Once Khamzat has to fight Strickland's fight, I just don't think he has a chance. I mean, Khamzat throws, he hits hard. He kicks hard, but not scary hard. And he's kind of predictable. You can see the shots coming. And with a guy like Strickland, some of the best defense in the whole of MMA, you're not going to catch him with something, you know, if you don't set it up. And I don't think Khamzat has the skillset to set that knockout up."

"If Khamzat takes him down that first round and holds him down and Strickland can not get up, it's Khamzat's fight. That's it. But I do believe Strickland has every tool to not let that happen and maybe snatch that title away. It's going to be a very interesting fight. I think the first round is going to tell us how that fight is going to play out."

Q&A

What did Dricus Du Plessis say about the Chimaev vs. Strickland fight?

Dricus Du Plessis stated that Sean Strickland has a good chance in the fight and cautioned against overlooking him, highlighting the significance of the first round.

How has Dricus Du Plessis performed against Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland?

Dricus Du Plessis has two wins over Sean Strickland but was completely dominated by Khamzat Chimaev in their fight.

What factors did Du Plessis mention that could influence the outcome of the fight?

Du Plessis noted that Khamzat Chimaev's ability to keep Strickland down after taking him down will be crucial, as Strickland is physically strong and skilled at getting back up.