"Robert didn’t get me even one punch" - Khamzat Chimaev points to Robert Whittaker fight to silence critics ahead of UFC 319 Dricus du Plessis clash

Khamzat Chimaev is currently scheduled to face Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title at UFC 319 on Aug. 16. Ahead of the fight, Chimaev addressed his critics by drawing comparisons between his victory over Robert Whittaker and Dricus du Plessis' victory over Whittaker.

'Borz' faced Whittaker in his last fight at UFC 308 last year, where he secured a convincing first-round submission victory. In contrast, du Plessis fought 'The Reaper' in July 2023, winning by TKO in the second round.

In the UFC 319 Countdown video, Chimaev silenced his critics, saying:

"People say Dricus [du Plessis] has good cardio, and people watch me, 'Khamzat has bad this, he’s hype’. How many years I’ve been [in] UFC, still people say ‘he’s hype’… [Robert Whittaker] fought Dricus [for] how many minutes? Dricus [has] been taken down from Robert. Robert didn't get me even one punch."

He added:

"Everyone I fought, they say, 'I'm preparing for a war.' Why should you prepare for a war? If you want to win, you have to prepare for kill."

Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments below (23:41):

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Dricus du Plessis lays down game plan to beat Khamzat Chimaev

Dricus du Plessis is currently on an unbeaten streak in the UFC. Since becoming the middleweight champion, he has successfully defended his title twice. The upcoming fight against Khamzat Chimaev will be his third title defense.

In a recent interview with the Chicago Sports Network, 'Stillknocks' outlined his game plan to defeat Chimaev, saying:

"It's a bully style of fighting. I think that is the exact way you beat a guy like this, and that's how I'm going to beat him... That's at the end of the day, you get the guys that fight him because he has this name. He has this aura, he is unbeaten, and people fight him in a defensive way, and I don't think that's the way to fight him. I think you have to face him head-on. Go for it and give him some of his own medicine."