Latest news with #Chimaev
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kamaru Usman Wants Dricus Du Plessis in Historic Africa vs. Africa Showdown
Kamaru Usman Wants Dricus Du Plessis in Historic Africa vs. Africa Showdown originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Dricus Du Plessis is back in the gym, locked in and laser-focused as he preps for his headline war against the ever-dangerous Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 this August. The South African warrior isn't just tuning up for another bout — he's igniting waves across the division. Whispers are already circulating after a standout from UFC Atlanta made it clear: he's watching, he's waiting, and he wants next. Advertisement Kamaru Usman, the 'Nigerian Nightmare,' reminded everyone why his name still carries weight. At UFC Atlanta, he turned back the clock with a commanding unanimous decision over Joaquin Buckley. Dricus du PlessisJeff Bottari-GettyImages It wasn't just a win — it was a statement. His first victory since 2022 and a much-needed rebound after a tough skid, including his last outing against Chimaev at UFC 294. Speaking to TMZ Sports in a video that Red Corner MMA quickly amplified, Usman dropped a bombshell: 'After getting the welterweight belt, they [UFC] have asked and waited years for me to go up and get the middleweight belt. I will relinquish that if Dricus Du Plessis is still the champion — all-African card. Africa vs. Africa, first card in Africa. UFC is close to getting that done. South Africa vs. Nigeria — it's a rivalry that's been built forever.' 'If things start to fall in line, I think we're gonna see a pretty interesting next 18 months.' Dana White, never shy about global ambitions, told Sports Business Journal: 'I'm looking to go into Africa for the first time. We have a champion from South Africa… I'm looking to go everywhere, everywhere on this planet we're going to end up doing a live event.' Kamaru UsmanGetty Images A Du Plessis vs. Usman matchup? That's not just fireworks — that's a global moment in the making. Two African titans, one historic card. The world will be watching. Advertisement Related: Ben Askren: New Update Reveals Emotional Details on UFC Veteran's Ongoing Health Battle Related: UFC Abu Dhabi: Robert Whittaker Set to Face Fastest-Rising Middleweight Star in Legacy Fight This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
UFC Fans get divided as new training video of middleweight fighter Khamzat Chimaev goes viral ahead of the title bout at UFC 319
Khamzat Chimaev. Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC UFC fans get divided over a recent video of the undefeated Russian middleweight fighter Khamzat Chimaev training in his gym, which went viral. The fighter is seen preparing for the upcoming title bout against the current middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, at UFC 319 . A couple of days ago, fans got to witness another video of Chimaev, where the fighter is seen practising some fierce wrestling moves with Abdulrashid Sadulaev, a prodigy in the world of wrestling with two Olympic gold medals and six world championships. Khamzat Chimaev isolates himself to concentrate on his training camp, practices hardcore wrestling moves involving takedown attempts and pins Borz seems to be keeping no stone unturned for his upcoming title run at UFC 319. The fighter, apparently, even isolated himself to avoid any distraction and has been focused on his training in the mountain villages of Kislovodsk. The last video that Khamzat Chimaev uploaded on Instagram featuring Abdulrashid Sadulaev garnered a lot of attention from the fans, which even included the ones supporting the current middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis. The recent video that went viral showed the fighter practising some rapid grappling moves and takedown attempts while also training to evade any such attempts from his opponent. Chimaev is known for his vicious wrestling moves, which have landed him as the Swedish National Champion in wrestling for three straight years. The fighter's wrestling record stands at an undefeated 12-0. Borz's very past, involving aggressive wrestling, has left the fans of Dricus worried, while they still try to stand behind the latter and support the fighter. Fans of Chimaev seem to be quite confident about the fighter winning the division golf, owing to his undefeated streak in his pro-MMA career. One of the fans wrote, 'The real future MW champion, The Borz !' A section of fans believes that no matter which direction the fight goes, it is the press conference that will be interesting, owing to DDP's past history of trash-talk records. A user wrote, 'dpp gonna crash khamzat during the press conference tho. we might see some crazy things happens during the press because khamzat isnt someone who can accept trash talk. Haha' Another user wrote while supporting the current middleweight, 'DDP gonna dog walk this man' Also read: Irish fighter Paddy McCorry seemingly yells pro-Palestine slogans while landing brutal blows on former IDF member turned fighter Shuki Farage The fight between Chimaev and DDP will be the headlining event of UFC 319 scheduled for August 16, 2025. Fans are eagerly waiting for this matchup which will feature two legends going head on against each other for the championship gold of the division. Chimaev is currently ranked 3rd in the entire division.
Irish Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
UFC title challenger once flew to Ireland to confront Conor McGregor
Khamzat Chimaev will finally get the chance to fight for UFC gold when he takes on Dricus Du Plessis for the Middleweight title in August. The undefeated 14-0 star has blossomed into one of the most fearsome fighters in the UFC since his debut in 2020 and has defeated the likes of Kevin Holland, Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker on his way to becoming number one contender. During his time in the UFC, Chimaev has proven that he is always down for a scrap. However, years before he set foot inside an Octagon, the 31-year-old showed his fighting mentality when he flew to Ireland to confront Conor McGregor. McGregor was in the midst of a heated feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov - Chimaev's friend - at the time and flew into a rage after McGregor infamously attacked a bus which Nurmagomedov was on in an altercation in New York City. 'At that time, no one knew who I was. He was also talking about another guy who's also Chechen. I don't remember his name, but he told us he knocked him out in a sparring session,' Chimaev said years later. 'My mind was blowing up at that moment, but I'm living here very close to him. I was thinking that I would catch him on the streets or at the gym and beat him up. This is what he deserved. 'I landed in Ireland and waited in an airport. First they stopped me a while and then slightly told me to go… When I was going out of the airport they stopped me again… They drove me to the police station and kept me for eight hours. 'Honestly speaking, I wanted to beat him up. Many people thought I was coming there to help him prepare for Khabib. I was coming there to protect our pride and honor.' McGregor and Chimaev never faced off. Later that year, the Irishman fought Khabib and was beaten by submission in the fourth round.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Incoming khamzat crying spree' - Fans speculate mental war as Khamzat Chimaev takes an unapologetic shot at Dricus Du Plessis' coaches
With a history of rigorous trash talk before their bout, middleweight fighters Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev have started raising the expectations of the fans for their upcoming bout at . The headline event will see Dricus defending his title for the third time, and Chimaev, with his undefeated pro-MMA record, fighting to secure the same. While the fighters have been constantly taunting each other, Chimaev's latest dig at Dricus's coach has taken the internet by storm, resulting in a mental war speculation by the fans. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Known for their war of words, Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus Du Plessis raise fa expectations with their pre-fight banter ahead of UFC 319 B oth Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev are known for their ways of getting into the opponent's head before their scheduled bout. The infamous incident where Sean Strickland asked one of the audience members to step aside to jump on and hit Dricus is still fresh in the minds of the fans at UFC 296. Chimaev, while racking up an undefeated record of 14-0, has also stepped out of line in taunting his opponents in the past. The fighter's recent post sheds light on the ways he could go in waging a mental war against his opponents. Chimaev, on the social media platform X, posted a picture of Dricus with his coaches while captioning it with doughnut emojis followed by a laughing emoji. The picture dates back to the time when Dricus secured the middleweight championship belt against Strickland at UFC 297. Borz's post generated a significant reaction from the fans as a section of them believes that Dricus will undoubtedly retain the championship belt post the headline event. One of the users wrote, 'That's gonna be the exact photo after the fight, Dricus still holding his belt' Another user wrote, expecting a banter between the fighters, 'I hope this tweet doesn't get deleted, I'll be here for another banger exchange' Fans are quite confident about Dricus' capabilities both in war of words as well as inside the cage. Indicating this, one of them wrote, 'You better quit while your hole isn't as deep. You're never winning a twitter war with DDP. Prepare to get clowned on here and in the cage.' "Incoming khamzat crying spree" Also read: As of this writing, Dricus has not yet responded to the tweet. The duo has been scheduled to face each other at UFC 319 to be held on August 16, 2025. With the ongoing war of words between the two, fans are gearing up for a fiery head on clash at the main event.
Daily Maverick
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
SA's Dricus du Plessis seeks to outsmart Russia's Khamzat Chimaev in next UFC title bout
South African UFC champion Dricus du Plessis' next title fight, scheduled for 17 August at UFC 319, will test his entire repertoire of skills. Dricus du Plessis is preparing for his third Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title defence against undefeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 after federation president Dana White made the announcement last week. It's a matchup that has been hotly anticipated since Du Plessis dismantled former champion Sean Strickland by unanimous decision at UFC 312 in February this year. Du Plessis has been on a hot streak since entering the US fighting organisation in 2020, going undefeated in the nine times he has stepped into the octagon. He has only two losses in the 25 times he has fought under the banner of any mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation. But Chechen wrestler-cum-MMA fighter Chimaev has an equally impressive resumé, having claimed eight out of eight wins in the UFC. One of the two will break their duck on 17 August at the United Centre in Chicago. Most of Chimaev's fights came in the UFC welterweight division, having recently moved up to middleweight. He has had only two fights in the heavier division – against Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker – before getting the title shot. Middleweight seems a more natural division for Chimaev, who was scheduled to fight Nate Diaz in the main event at UFC 279 in September 2022, but came into the weigh-in more than three kilograms overweight. Instead, he was placed in a bout with Kevin Holland at short notice at catchweight, who he submitted in the first round. Wrestling credentials Despite often going into fights as the underdog, Du Plessis and coach Morne Visser have a happy knack of out-strategising opponents in the octagon, in spite of his reputation as an unorthodox brawler. The brains trust will need to be at its intelligent best if they are to overcome Chimaev, who has 12 finishes and 14 wins in the 14 MMA fights he has been in thus far. Six of those finishes have come by submissions, and the other six by knockouts. Chimaev is a strong wrestler with his background on the mat. His stats in the UFC underline that, with an average of 2.77 submission attempts per fight compared with Du Plessis, who averages 0.73. Du Plessis has proven more than capable of wrestling if need be, but Chimaev is a different challenge. This was exemplified when he broke Whittaker's jaw at UFC 308 after only three minutes and 34 seconds in the first round. Russian champions Chimaev grew up in Chechnya, which with Dagestan has become notorious for its formidable MMA fighters, particularly in the UFC. Khabib Nurmagomedov, from Dagestan, is considered one of the best UFC fighters of all after putting a stop to a then prime Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in 2018. Nurmagomedov retired from the sport in 2021 after 29 wins from 29 fights. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame the following year. Currently, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, a fellow Dagestani, is the top-ranked men's pound-for-pound fighter, according to the UFC's rankings. Michael Lyubimov, a prominent MMA coach who has worked with many fighters from the Caucasus, including Nurmagomedov, said that when he first encounters athletes from the region upon their arrival in fight promotion organisations in the US, they are often already vastly experienced. Lyubimov – who is general manager of the Jackson Wink MMA Academy in New Mexico, renowned for its production of MMA talent, says that many young fighters from the region take up fighting prompted by 'despair from a young age'. 'Back where they come from, there's absolutely nothing,' Lyubimov said in an interview with CNN. 'A lot of these guys that come here, I mean, they fought since they're like six years of age.' 'By the time they get to the UFC or obtain these big promotions or come to America, they have over 200 fights and stuff. 'There's no other option. There are cauliflower ears everywhere. It's just who they are. It's in the culture, engraved in them.' Chimaev will seek to add his name to the ever-growing list of successful UFC title holders from the region. In his path is South Africa's first UFC champion, who has said he is willing to die in the octagon.
