Dricus du Plessis enters his next title defense with massive pressure and massive expectations.
The reigning middleweight champion fights the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319 on Aug. 16 in Chicago, UFC CEO Dana White announced Tuesday. This will be du Plessis’ third defense of his title after he won it from Sean Strickland at UFC 297.
Du Plessis has established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, with two wins over Strickland, a defense against middleweight great Israel Adesanya, and stoppages of veterans Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson, and Darren Till. He is currently on an 11-fight win streak dating back to 2018.
However, Chimaev could be his toughest test yet. The undefeated Chimaev is 14-0 in his career with wins over former UFC champions Whittaker and Kamaru Usman, and has finished all but two of his opponents. Were it not for inactivity, Chimaev would likely have already challenged for a UFC title. He gets his opportunity this August.
Fans are jazzed to see Chimaev (fingers crossed) finally fight for UFC gold, but if du Plessis stops him, it could greatly boost the South African star’s ranking on the all-time middleweight list.
Check out reactions to the UFC 319 main event announcement below.
