Tag: Khamzat Chimaev

Dricus Du Plessis reveals how close Khamzat Chimaev came to getting UFC 312 title shot

Dricus Du Plessis discusses how Sean Strickland came to receive a title shot over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 312.

UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] claims [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] was in consideration for his next title defense.

Instead, Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) will run things back with [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) in the UFC 312 headliner Feb. 8 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) was touted as the potential No. 1 contender when he quickly submitted former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. Du Plessis was excited about the opportunity to hand Chimaev his first loss but acknowledges that fans were previously eager to see him fight Strickland again after their tightly contested affair at UFC 297.

“The Khamzat fight would have been a lot bigger in my opinion and more exciting,” Du Plessis told Fox Sports Australia. “I haven’t done it before. I haven’t seen it before. He’s unbeaten, but Strickland is an absolute beast in the octagon. This fight’s going to be a banger again, and I can’t wait.”

So, was Du Plessis ever offered Chimaev by the UFC?

“It was on the table, for sure,” Du Plessis said. “We talked about it, but it wasn’t from my side or from his side where the fight didn’t happen. I think there was some issues with the UFC and Khamzat, I’m not sure. And timing.

“I think timing also played a big role. But there were conversations, and I said that’s the fight that I want, so let’s do it, and they couldn’t make it happen. So, Strickland is the fight they did.”

If Du Plessis gets past Strickland again, he’ll have his sights set on Chimaev.

“Rumor has it that Khamzat will be in attendance for the fight against Strickland now on the 8th of February,” Du Plessis said. “I don’t know how true that is, but if that’s the case, I guess that’s going to be the next fight. I’m going to beat Sean Strickland, and then Khamzat will be next.”

[lawrence-related id=2792338,2792214,2792222,2792242]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.

Robert Whittaker: Khamzat Chimaev beats UFC 312 headliners Dricus Du Plessis, Sean Strickland

Robert Whittaker doesn’t see how Dricus Du Plessis or Sean Strickland could stop Khamzat Chimaev’s grappling.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] doesn’t see how [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] or [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] can stop [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]’s grappling.

Middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) will rematch Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) in the UFC 312 main event Feb. 8 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who ran through Whittaker for a first-round submission at UFC 308 in October, is expected to face the winner.

Whittaker had his teeth crushed by Chimaev’s face crank when they clashed, and the former champ doesn’t see Du Plessis or Strickland being able to stop Chimaev’s first explosive takedown.

“I think he just takes them down and does the same thing, like not necessarily to me but how he beat (Kamaru) Usman or how he beat Gilbert Burns,” Whittaker said on his “MMArcade Podcast.” “I can see those sort of fights.

“I think he’d have more success with Strickland than Du Plessis just because Du Plessis is like a big dude. Stopping that first takedown is so crazy. The way he shoots that first shot is crazy. How do you stop that dude? Jump over him?”

Du Plessis edged Strickland by split decision in their first meeting at UFC 297. Despite it being a close contest, Whittaker doesn’t think Strickland can make the adjustments to avenge his loss.

“In my opinion, I don’t see the fight going any different,” Whittaker said. “Du Plessis is such a dog in there. He’s going to come with the same aggressiveness and game plan. What could Sean do differently to change the outcome than last time?”

[lawrence-related id=2782291,2766350,2789189,2789188]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.

Overreaction Time: Alexandre Pantoja and Shavkat Rakhmonov elite? Colby Covington in danger, more!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” on what happened at UFC 310 and what’s to come at UFC 311, UFC 312 and UFC Tampa.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • UFC 310: [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] will STILL be flyweight champion at the end of 2025.
  • UFC 310: [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag]’s title reign is up next.
  • Shavkat Rakhmonov and [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] WILL meet again for the UFC welterweight title.
  • UFC 311: [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] SHOULD BE the main event over [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag].
  • UFC 311: Umar being favored over Merab is NUTS!
  • UFC 312: [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] getting a title shot over [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] is BULLSH*T.
  • A [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] rematch is a GREAT idea.
  • UFC Tampa: [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] won’t just beat [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], he’ll knock him out!

Watch the full episode in the video above.

Dricus Du Plessis preferred Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 312 over Sean Strickland rematch

If it was up to Dricus Du Plessis, he’d be defending his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 312.

If it was up to [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag], he’d be defending his UFC middleweight title against [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag].

Instead, Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) will run things back with [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) in the UFC 312 headliner Feb. 8 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).

Du Plessis narrowly defeated Strickland by split decision to capture the middleweight title at UFC 297 last January. In the year since, Strickland has maintained he was robbed by the judges and should’ve kept the belt.

Strickland was declared No. 1 contender after rebounding with a win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June, and Du Plessis obliged – even though he disagrees with the matchmaking.

“Just for clarification I preferred the Khamzat fight but the rematch is a fight most wanted before Khamzat vs. Whittaker,” Du Plessis wrote on X. I’m not unhappy with the UFC’s decision. Like I said, I’ll fight the man fans think is the next best guy. He was promised the fight so Strickland it is.”

Du Plessis saw Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) as a more intriguing challenge after the unbeaten contender ran through former champion Robert Whittaker by first-round submission in October.

When a fan on X suggested Chimaev would beat both UFC 312 headliners, Du Plessis was quick to snap back:

“He can’t even beat his own immune system.”

After dethroning Strickland to start the year, Du Plessis notched his first title defense with a fourth-round submission of former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in August.

[lawrence-related id=2783069,2782884,2782367,2782291]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.

Video: UFC contenders Khamzat Chimaev, Arman Tsarukyan compete in outdoor grappling match

Watch Khamzat Chimaev and Arman Tsarukyan square off in a competitive grappling match for Hype Fighting Championship.

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] and [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] are unlikely foes in mixed martial arts given their gap in divisions. However, that’s not so much the case in grappling.

The two UFC contenders went head to head in a recent grappling match for Hype Fighting Championship. Although Tsarukyan seemed to have trouble with Chimaev, the UFC lightweight title challenger held his own and gave Chimaev, a top contender at 185 pounds, a hard time during their match, which happened outdoors and in a cage.

You can watch their grappling match in the video above.

Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) is scheduled to return to the cage on Jan. 18 in the main event of UFC 311. He challenges Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title in a rematch of their 2019 fight won by Makhachev.

Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is coming off a first-round submission win over former UFC champ Robert Whittaker in October. Although not official, many see Chimaev as the likely next challenger for UFC middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

Robert Whittaker admits to being outmatched by Khamzat Chimaev: ‘How do you stop that takedown?’

Robert Whittaker acknowledges that there wasn’t much he could do to stop Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] acknowledges that there wasn’t much he could do to stop [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] from taking him down.

Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ran through Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) for a first-round submission in their middleweight bout at UFC 308. The face-crank win resulted in Whittaker needing dental surgery. Whittaker broke down how the fight went down and rated Chimaev’s strength.

“Within seconds of the fight starting, I felt real comfortable standing with him, like real comfortable,” Whittaker said on his “MMArcade Podcast.” “Then the dude drops to like a millimeter. How do you stop that takedown? We did a lot of wrestling, we did a lot of wall work, but it’s so hard to replicate that sort of takedown, that sort of commitment. Props to him. Guy knows his strength and played into them to a tee and is willing to burn it all there for it.

“Takedown goes in, ankle picks me off the fence, it was a great takedown. It was a beautiful takedown. But then we get to the wall work, and I felt good. Like, he has really heavy sag. He’s not ridiculously strong or anything like that, but he had really heavy sag, and he was really good at making me work. He was really good and making sure he was active. He was always reaching for under-hooks, reaching for ankle picks, trying to get a hook in. Making me work, staying active.”

Whittaker was prepared for Chimaev’s explosive start but didn’t expect the face crank to cause so much damage.

“Even then, I knew that the squeeze that he was pushing on was going to be very hard to sustain that throughout the rounds,” Whittaker said. “We had five rounds, right? And I could feel some of the space opening up later on.

“Obviously it happens, we transition, then he puts his forearm across my face for the face crank. It was just picture perfect, landed square between my chin and my lip. It hits right there and instantly my teeth gave out. Obviously the squeezing after didn’t help, but they just gave out.”

[lawrence-related id=2782649,2782363,2782291,2781374]

Dana White heaps praise on Khamzat Chimaev, wants to see UFC title fight in U.S.

Dana White hopes Khamzat Chimaev can make his U.S. return in 2025.

[autotag]Dana White[/autotag] hopes [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] can make his U.S. return in 2025.

Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) positioned himself in title contention when he ran through former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker for a first-round submission at UFC 308 in October.

The UFC CEO was very impressed with Chimaev’s return, and anticipates him fighting for the middleweight title next year – preferably in the U.S.

“He looked incredible,” White said of Chimaev on “The Jim Rome Show.” “His manager was telling me before the fight that mentally, physically and emotionally he’s the best he’s ever been. He said, ‘I’m telling you, wait until you see him on Saturday,’ and he was right. He was dead on.

“This guy’s never looked better, especially against the competition that he had. I’m looking forward to him getting a title fight in ’25. We’ll see how this plays out here, but I want him to fight in the United States. I want him to fight for a title here in the U.S.”

Chimaev hasn’t competed in the U.S. since submitting Kevin Holland at UFC 279 in Las Vegas. Chimaev’s quick finish of Whittaker got the attention of UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who said he’d rather defend his title against the unbeaten sensation over a rematch with Sean Strickland.

The promotion is yet to announce Du Plessis’ next title fight, but his head coach Morne Visser said the plan is to compete at UFC 312 Feb. 8 in Sydney.

[lawrence-related id=2783092,2782683,2782676,2782565]

Overreaction Time: UFC drops the ball, Colby Covington’s time up, DDP makes a big mistake, more!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” as host Simon Samano and Mike Bohn cover big UFC event developments and more.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • UFC dropped the ball by not booking [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] at UFC 310.
  • [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] should be cut from the UFC.
  • [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] has another UFC flyweight title run in him – and this one will last a while.
  • [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] wanting [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] instead of [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] is a big mistake.
  • Just a reminder: [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] has no chance of beating [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Watch the full episode in the video above.

UFC champion Dricus Du Plessis: Beating Khamzat Chimaev ‘warrants a double title fight’

If Dricus Du Plessis can add Khamzat Chimaev’s name to his resume, he’s expecting big things.

If [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] can add [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]’s name to his resume, he’s expecting big things.

Middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) was angling to run things back with Sean Strickland for his next title defense, but after Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ran through Robert Whittaker for a first-round submission this past Saturday at UFC 308, he’s now interested in undefeated “Borz.”

With his past three wins coming over Whittaker, Strickland and Israel Adesanya, Du Plessis thinks handing Chimaev his first career loss should set him up for a shot at the light heavyweight title – preferably in his home country of South Africa.

“If I beat Khamzat Chimaev – I beat Robert Whittaker, then I beat Sean Strickland, then I beat Israel Adesanya, then I beat Khamzat Chimaev, that warrants a double title fight,” Du Plessis told ESPN. “And I think that might just be it. I have a vision, and I can’t picture something more perfect than that.

“But to be completely honest, I do not care who it is. South Africa would go crazy no matter who I fight. … At the end of the day, there’s a goal that needs to be reached, and that is fighting in my home country and getting that second belt. To do those on the same night, that would be pretty sweet.”

Du Plessis clarifies he’ll fight whoever the UFC offers, but after Chimaev’s impressive finish of Whittaker, the champion says that’s who the fans are clamouring for him to fight.

“The conversations were more about me fighting Strickland,” Du Plessis said. “But there was a very big reason no contracts have been signed, and I’m saying this as an opinion: I agreed – I said I’ll fight Strickland, perfect, and that’s the fight the fans want.

“But if you go on what the fans want right now, it’s definitely not the Strickland fight. If you ask what I want, I want to fight the best guy. I want to fight the guy the fans want me to fight, and that 100 percent is Khamzat. If they give me the Strickland fight, great, I’ll fight Strickland in February, March or whenever, and then fight Khamzat.”

[lawrence-related id=2782884,2782683,2782367,2782291]

Nutritionist Matteo Capodaglio gives insight into Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 308 preparation

Khamzat Chimaev returned in emphatic fashion at UFC 308.

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] returned in emphatic fashion at UFC 308.

Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ran through former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker for a first-round submission in this past Saturday’s co-main event in Abu Dhabi. He acquired the help of Dr. Matteo Capodaglio, who works with the likes of No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan and former title challenger Marvin Vettori. Chimaev has experienced a slew of health issues in the past year, which saw the cancellation of his first scheduled bout against Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6 in June.

Capodaglio discussed how Chimaev avoided overtraining for this camp while also maintaining his usual intensity.

“I can do as much as I want when it comes to nutrition, but if the training volume is overwhelming, it doesn’t matter. The body is going to break down at one point,” Capodaglio told MMA Junkie. “You can have the best nutrition, but if you train eight hours a day say, the likelihood of having an injury is increased. I think the rest of the team did a great job, and Khamzat did a great job of understanding this. Not just macronutrient periodization but also training periodization.

“The training sessions were intense, but they were not never ending. So, the reduction of training volume, I guess compared to his previous camp, I wasn’t there, so I can’t say for certain, but from what I heard, also played a huge role. … I was impressed with the output that he put in the training sessions. That was intense. Like, very intense. He was hammering people. I was going into the fight with a lot of good feelings.”

Leading up to UFC 308, Chimaev mentioned the possibility of returning to welterweight. Capodaglio thinks middleweight is optimal but doesn’t see a drop back down as an impossible feat. Capodaglio helped former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt make flyweight with no issues.

“He recently moved up to 185, and he’s feeling that weight class,” Capodaglio said. “Meaning that he’s probably also gaining lean mass, he’s getting bigger. To go back to 170, and this is not just for Khamzat, I think there should be a buffer period where he works on decreasing his lean mass because of course lean mass is important for performance.

“But the thing is, if your lean mass is so big that you cannot possibly make the weight, even if you’re super lean, then the only way to make weight will be to decrease that. So, it will be something that requires time, requires work, but theoretically, with the right preparation, it could be doable.”

[lawrence-related id=2782684,2782676,2782649,2782565]