The middleweight division is having a moment right now in the world of mixed martial arts.
Former king of the 185-pounders, Israel Adesanya, has weighed in on the upcoming title fight at UFC 319 between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.
Chimaev, undefeated and feared for his violent style, is finally in the title picture and enters the bout as the strong favourite.
His opponent, du Plessis, is the first South African champion. With a record of 23-wins, two-losses and victories over three former champions, du Plessis has proven that he can adapt to any style.
Adesanya broke down the matchup in a recent video on his YouTube channel, highlighting the contrasting approaches of the two fighters.
“Khamzat’s a fast starter. He’s going to come in and shoot almost instantly,” he said.
“Dricus du Plessis will keep his distance, use his long-range weapons like kicks… and his jab.”
The former champion sees two possible outcomes: Chimaev could take control early, or du Plessis’ unrelenting style could potentially secure the upset in the later rounds.
“[Either] Khamzat comes out, just grabs a hold of Dricus and just drags him to deep waters in the first or second [round] and finishes him,” he said.
“Or, Dricus matches Khamzat’s crazy [style], with his own type of crazy [style] and willingness to not quit and drags Khamzat into deep waters in the third, fourth or fifth round and gets him out of there.”
Adesanya believes the intense clash of styles will benefit the champion and his persistent attitude.
“He’s just stubborn, he won’t quit,” he said.
“There is a method to [du Plessis’] madness, it’s awkward but it’s all systematic for him.
“Dricus can weather the storm and probably finish Khamzat later on.”
The UFC 319 middleweight title fight promises fireworks. Chimaev’s aggression and du Plessis’ adaptive style sets the stage for a contest which will likely steal the show.
