Khamzat Chimaev is looking sharp ahead of his first UFC title bout.
Chimaev faces Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title at UFC 319 on August 17 in what is his first shot at gold in the promotion.
‘Borz’ has run through his opponents en route to earning his first UFC title shot, having gone undefeated since his promotional debut in July 2020.
He shattered Robert Whittaker’s jaw in his last fight at UFC 308 in October and looks better than ever ahead of his meeting with South African champion du Plessis.
Chimaev has been training with the world’s best grapplers, including two-time wrestling Olympic gold medallist Abdulrashid Sadulaev before his next fight.
The 31-year-old from Chechnya updated his fans with some brand new training footage this week and fans were left impressed.
He was spotted taking part in many intense drills on the mat, trading takedowns with different sparring partners in an attempt to gain top control.
Several fans took to X in response to Chimaev’s incredible grappling display, saying he will be the new UFC middleweight champion come August.
Another added: “Future champ looking good,” while a third wrote: “He will kill DDP in the first two rounds.”
A fourth said: “DDP is in trouble,” and a fifth responded: “Khamzat is on another level man.”
Chimaev and Du Plessis have exchanged many verbal blows ahead of their anticipated title bout.
Their fight was originally thrown into jeopardy when reports suggested that Du Plessis had been dealt a fresh injury concern.
Chimaev left Whittaker with a broken jaw at UFC 308 in OctoberGetty He has been training wth Olympic gold medallists ahead of his UFC return@KChimaevChimaev didn’t take kindly to the news of the South African’s suspected injury.
“This guy biggest bulls***,” he wrote, igniting a storm in the MMA community.
Du Plessis then fired back at the Russian while also clearing up doubt surrounding the situaiton.
“Let’s take a look at the last two and a half years, and tell me who’s bulls***,” he captioned two images comparing his record to Chimaev’s.
One fan responded to Du Plessis, referencing his injury and pullout from the Chimaev fight, saying: “Nice try at a comeback, but you spoke too soon when making fun of his pullouts earlier. Has karma had its way with you?”
Du Plessis replied: “Question is was the fight even signed?” admitting that he never officially agreed to fight Chimaev, although the title bout was still expected to take place.
UFC middleweight champion makes his third defence in AugustGetty He has defeated Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland in his title reignGettyThe South African middleweight king then confirmed days later that he wasn’t injured, asserting a date for the fight had already been discussed.
Last month, UFC CEO Dana White finally announced Du Plessis vs Chimaev at UFC 319, among a host of other blockbuster bouts, including Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier 3.
Du Plessis is one of the most complete fighters in the UFC and is ranked No. 5 in the promotion’s pound-for-pound rankings.
He has held the belt for over a year-and-a-half since defeating Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January 2024.
Seven months later, ‘Stillknocks’ submitted ex-middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in his first title defence before defeating Strickland again at UFC 312 last February.
Chimaev made his UFC debut in 2020 and quickly established himself as a top contender following four successive finishes that all led to $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses.
‘Borz’ put the entire division on notice after making easy work of Kevin Holland at UFC 279 in 2022, submitting the American just over two minutes into the first round.
He has since proved he can mix it up with the best after defeating former UFC champion’s Kamaru Usman and Whittaker.
Chimaev is ranked No. 3 in the UFC middleweight division and widely viewed as the future king at 185lbs.
Du Plessis, meanwhile, could cement his name as a UFC great with victory over the undefeated Russian.
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