The SA MMA star will put his middleweight title on the line on Sunday morning.
South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis says he is fully prepared for any scenario that is thrown his way ahead of his third title defence in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
The UFC middleweight champion steps into the octagon at the United Centre in Chicago at UFC319 in the early hours of Sunday morning (SA time) to face undefeated Russian wrestler Khamzat Chimaev.
Du Plessis, a former world kickboxing champion with striking skills second to none, knows he must be ready for if, and when, the Russian takes him to the ground.
Going the distance
“If he (Chimaev) takes me down, I will deal with that. I have trained for that. This is MMA (mixed martial arts), you need to be prepared for anything. It is like saying I don’t want to get hit, but you are going to take a punch eventually,” Du Plessis told Fox Sports yesterday.
Du Plessis – now in his fourth championship fight – also stated the importance of strength and conditioning in title bouts.
The only main difference between a title fight and any other MMA fight is the length of the contest.
A regular fight consists of three five-minute rounds, whereas the title bouts are increased by an extra two rounds, something Chimaev has never experienced in the UFC.
The Russian – who goes flat out from the first second of the fight – has only been involved in two fights that have gone the regular distance of three rounds, and although he eked out wins in those fights, there will be concerns in his camp about lasting the full 25 minutes of a title bout.
‘I am going to attack’
“We have planned for every scenario. I have been working with my conditioning coach for two years now, and I get better every fight,” Du Plessis said.
“The plan in this fight is to go out from the first round and make him work, the whole time.
“One thing is for certain. I am not going out there to defend. I am the hunter and I am going to attack.
“Whether it be on the ground, in the clinch or in the striking, we are in a cage and there is no place to hide.”
The two fighters got their first glimpses of one another in fight week yesterday, and despite the fact that they are going out to hurt each other on Sunday, there was a sign of mutual respect, with them shaking hands and wishing each other good luck.
