5 things Dricus du Plessis needs to do to beat Khamzat Chimaev

This past weekend at UFC 312, Dricus du Plessis ended his rivalry with Sean Strickland with a clear-cut win to defend his middleweight title. He may now be faced with a bigger challenge.

Dricus du Plessis appears to be on a collision course with top contender Khamzat Chimaev for his next middleweight title defense - but can he win?

'Borz' has been a force of nature throughout his UFC tenure, winning eight fights in a row to take his record to 14-0. Of course, though, no fighter is unbeatable.

With that in mind, here are five things that Dricus du Plessis needs to do to beat Khamzat Chimaev.

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#5. Dricus du Plessis needs to avoid brawling with Khamzat Chimaev

On paper at least, one area that Dricus du Plessis could be seen to have an advantage over Khamzat Chimaev is in striking exchanges.

'Stillknocks' holds nine of his 23 career wins by knockout, including his impressive 2023 finish of former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker.

However, it's arguable that from a defensive standpoint, du Plessis isn't unhittable. In fact, at times he leaves himself very open to taking a shot, usually trusting that his chin will absorb the blow and allow him to hit back harder.

That approach might not be smart against Chimaev, though. 'Borz' is clearly known more for his grappling than his striking, but in 2020, he needed literally one punch to turn the lights out on Gerald Meerschaert.

Given that Meerschaert has only ever suffered four knockout losses across a 55-fight career, it suggests Chimaev has scary power in his hands.

For du Plessis, then, risking that his chin will carry him through a brawl could be a bad move. Sure, he could also catch 'Borz', but the Chechen is surprisingly quick, and judging on what we've seen, only needs one shot to finish someone.

Therefore, 'Stillknocks' would be wise to avoid any kind of wild exchange in this fight, and work from distance instead.

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#4. Dricus du Plessis needs to stay on the outside when he strikes

While he wouldn't be classed as a pinpoint, sniping striker like Israel Adesanya, or a one-punch KO artist like Alex Pereira, Dricus du Plessis is definitely a dangerous striker.

However, if he wants to beat Khamzat Chimaev, then even looking to exchange with him rather than brawl could be dangerous.

That's because, if the South African gets too close, or decides to clinch with 'Borz', he leaves himself wide open for a takedown.

Equally, if he goes for a takedown himself, then he might leave his neck wide open for a potential guillotine or D'Arce from one of the most dangerous grapplers in the UFC.

'Stillknocks', then, might be best to take a patient approach and attack from distance. Chimaev is actually two inches taller than du Plessis at 6ft 2in, but he does have a slight reach disadvantage.

Therefore, if the South African can stay on the outside and use that lunging jab and body kick, he might be able to keep Chimaev away from him. If he can do that, and keep it up for five rounds, the fight might become more winnable.

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#3. Dricus du Plessis needs to avoid scrambling like the plague

The obvious key to victory for Dricus du Plessis in a fight with Khamzat Chimaev is to stop the Chechen's takedown. However, saying that and actually doing it are two separate things.

Chimaev's takedown success rate sits at 46 percent, and the only opponent he's never taken down is Gerald Meerschaert, who was knocked out cold in just 17 seconds.

Given 'Borz' likes to shoot as quickly as possible, then, the chances of him taking 'Stillknocks' down at least once seem quite high.

If that's the case, then if du Plessis wants to survive, he needs to be as defensive as possible. The South African needs to get to guard or as close to it as possible, and try to simply hold Chimaev.

What he can't afford to do is scramble in an attempt to reverse. If he does that, then the chances of Chimaev snatching up his neck rise drastically.

Kevin Holland, for instance, was able to get to full guard when Chimaev took him down. However, he didn't wrap 'Borz' up and instead looked to scramble free. Moments later he was tapping out.

Sure, there's a chance that du Plessis ends up taking a beating from ground-and-pound if he does simply shell up in guard, but he's a tough fighter. The chances of him being stopped from that position don't seem high.

Put simply, Dricus du Plessis cannot outgrapple Chimaev, so instead, looking purely to survive more than anything else should be his priority.

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#2. Dricus du Plessis should not fear losing the first round

The common thread throughout Khamzat Chimaev's UFC career has been the fact that he starts in absolutely rapid fashion. 'Borz' has been described as a "sprinter" by fighter-turned-analyst Din Thomas, and that is a fair description.

Usually, Chimaev's opponents simply can't handle the pressure he puts on them in the first round, hence why the Chechen has five first round stoppages to his name in the octagon.

However, we have seen against both Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns that 'Borz' slows down after the first round, if an opponent can survive it.

Therefore, Dricus du Plessis should absolutely not fear losing the first round of this prospective fight. If anything, he ought to expect to come out on the wrong end of it. Survival should be his goal early on.

'Stillknocks' is proven across five rounds, beating Sean Strickland in two bouts that went the distance. To add to this, only one of his six stoppage wins in the UFC came in the first round. He actually does his best work later on in fights.

Therefore, if du Plessis focuses purely on getting through the first round without being finished, even if he loses it, it should still fill him with confidence. Based on what we've seen, Chimaev will slow down as the fight goes on, giving 'Stillknocks' a big opening for success.

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#1. Dricus du Plessis needs to know when to turn the heat up

Khamzat Chimaev has only left the first round in three of his UFC appearances, and discounting his one-sided debut win over John Phillips, both fights told a similar story.

Essentially, 'Borz' came out fast, went after both Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns hard in the first round, and then slowed down. Both fighters then had some success against him, with Burns in particular busting him up standing.

Unfortunately for them, neither Usman or Burns was able to keep Chimaev at bay for long enough to turn the tide, and both wound up losing close decisions.

This evidence suggests that Dricus du Plessis will almost certainly get some openings in a fight with Chimaev as 'Borz' slows down.

The key for 'Stillknocks', then, is to ensure that unlike Burns and Usman, he knows exactly when to turn the heat up on Chimaev.

If he can avoid expending too much energy himself early on, the South African could be able to recognise when Chimaev begins to slow down in his own right, and capitalise on that.

Du Plessis is no stranger to this kind of approach. Against Darren Till, for instance, he was instantly on the attack the minute the Liverpudlian showed any kind of vulnerability, and indeed, du Plessis finished him.

Given that the fourth and fifth round of a fight are uncharted territory for Chimaev, then, if du Plessis can drag him into that kind of deep water, the chances of the Chechen drowning multiply.

If 'Stillknocks' can catch a tired Chimaev off-guard on the feet, there's every chance that he could land something nasty and become the first fighter to take 'Borz' out.