Dricus du Plessis, the UFC middleweight champion, approaches his upcoming fight at UFC 319 in Chicago as a clear underdog, defying early predictions that favored Khamzat Chimaev as the sport’s next dominant champion. Despite this, Du Plessis is focused solely on proving himself rather than responding to outside doubt.

Overcoming Doubts and Past Champions

Although Du Plessis enters this as an underdog for his third title defense, his career is marked by consistently surpassing expectations. Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker both began their fights against Du Plessis as favorites, yet he decisively defeated them. Meanwhile, Chimaev has largely avoided the underdog label as fans anticipated his rise to championship status. Du Plessis, however, moved forward to claim the title while Chimaev’s ascent faced obstacles.

Odds don’t make fights, fighters do. The odds have never dictated how I fight,

Du Plessis said in an interview with CBS Sports.

Saying that I became everything people thought Khamzat would be, I agree with that. That’s because I’m built differently. I’ll show that again on the 16th.

—Dricus du Plessis, UFC Middleweight Champion

Chimaev’s Setbacks and Du Plessis’ Consistency

Chimaev’s rise has been hindered by health concerns, weight issues, and travel complications, during which Du Plessis remained active and successful. The South African champion has accumulated four wins over former UFC champions, surpassing Chimaev’s two victories. His willingness to face top competition is evident, having even requested a fight with Chimaev before the UFC booked his rematch against Sean Strickland.

It’s the ultimate goal of being the greatest to do this,

Du Plessis emphasized.

To be the greatest, it’s not how many guys you beat or how long you were at the top; it’s about who you beat while you were there. I don’t want to be the guy who held the belt and selected opponents. I want to fight the best of the best and that’s what I’ve been doing.

—Dricus du Plessis

If you look at our records, Khamzat has eight wins in the UFC and I have nine. Go compare our resumes, it’s ridiculous.

—Dricus du Plessis

The Unconventional Fighting Style That Defines Du Plessis

Du Plessis admits that his fighting style is far from elegant, often relentlessly overwhelming opponents with an unpredictable and intense approach. Despite this, he believes his overall skill set is superior to many of his contemporaries. He has defeated fighters with highly specialized abilities — including Adesanya’s expert kickboxing and Strickland’s difficult defensive style — and anticipates overcoming Chimaev’s wrestling as well.

From a wrestling and grappling perspective, he does not do something that hasn’t been seen before,

Du Plessis explained.

I don’t think there’s been a lot of guys that do it the way I do it. And when it comes to pure wrestling and pure grappling, of course, Khamzat is amazing, but this is different… It’s not wrestling and it’s not grappling. It’s MMA.

—Dricus du Plessis

Strategic Breakdown: Du Plessis’ Approach to the Fight

Few fighters have lasted the full duration against Du Plessis, as he skillfully breaks opponents down gradually until their defenses crumble. Drawing from Mike Tyson’s famous observation, Du Plessis embodies the reality that plans often dissolve the moment a punch lands. He believes he will expose similar weaknesses in Chimaev during their battle.

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

—Mike Tyson

You can see some tells when you look at the body language,

Du Plessis remarked.

You sense it like a predator senses its prey is weak. You can see it in the aura.

—Dricus du Plessis

Setting the Stage for a High-Stakes Middleweight Duel

Chimaev, whose moniker “Borz” means wolf, is known for his aggressive style, locking onto opponents with highly precise attacks, which has earned him a reputation as one of UFC’s most feared fighters. However, Du Plessis views himself as the reigning force in the middleweight division and has been studying Chimaev closely. Their upcoming fight at UFC 319 represents a pivotal moment, a clash where Du Plessis aims to demonstrate why he embodies the qualities many expected from Chimaev.