Michael Bisping sees Khamzat Chimaev trying to storm out of the gates as he always does against Dricus Du Plessis.
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) challenges middleweight champion Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in the UFC 319 main event on Aug. 16 from United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
Chimaev has been advised by many to employ a slower approach in order to reserve his gas tank, but Bisping doesn’t see that happening. In his most recent outing, Chimaev quickly took Robert Whittaker down and submitted him in Round 1 at UFC 308.
“Khamzat Chimaev needs to have a secret weapon because in the past, he has slowed down,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “I love that about Khamzat. He isn’t going to change. This is the way that he fights. You can’t change it; it’s just in his DNA. The man is an absolute animal. He says he wants to kill everyone, but he does, and that’s why we love him. That’s why we tune in, and that’s why this fight is going to be phenomenal.
“Because will he be able to go out there and dominate Dricus Du Plessis? Because if he can, then I don’t see anybody taking this belt off Khamzat Chimaev anytime soon.”
That being said, Bisping shares the opinion of the majority of pundits, which is that Du Plessis gets his hand raised if he’s able to weather the early Chimaev storm.
“I understand that Khamzat is going to be a very dangerous threat early. However, you can’t be a marathon runner and a sprinter at the same time,” Bisping said. “Khamzat Chimaev is a sprinter. Whereas other people have more of a style to go longer. Look at some of the most explosive fighters on the roster, they’re amazing in the first round.
“Conor McGregor didn’t have the best gas tank going on for five rounds, but in the first round, holy sh*t, you were in a lot of trouble. … So Khamzat Chimaev, I just think he’s built a certain way. But if Dricus Du Plessis can drag him into the later rounds, I still think it favors Dricus. And the fact that Khamzat is a 2-to-1 favorite is crazy.”
