Dricus Du Plessis’ Gameplan against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319: MMA Coach Breaks It Down
MMA coach Eric Nicksick has given his thoughts on Dricus du Plessis‘ potential gameplan against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319.
On Saturday night, Dricus du Plessis will face Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319. He’ll defend the UFC middleweight championship in that fight, and the expectation is that we’re going to see an absolute barnburner in Chicago.
Of course, Dricus du Plessis needs to be ready for an incredibly tough challenge – especially in the first few rounds of the fight. In a recent episode of his podcast, Eric Nicksick gave his thoughts on how this could all play out.
Eric Nicksick’s view on Dricus du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev
“So for Dricus, it’s his pressure and his pace. We’ve all seen it, we’ve all said it — his striking looks awkward and funky — but what he does really well is stay busy, keep throwing things, and he’s able to do that for five rounds. It doesn’t have to be clean or even that effective in terms of damage and landing — it’s just that he’s always putting something out there for you to deal with, mixing things up.
“When you look at a fight like this against Chimaev, that ability to make him work, force him to be a little more defensive, and maintain that output into the third, fourth, fifth rounds could be a big positive for him.”
“For Dricus, he has to get through the early rounds, has to find a way to drag Chimaev into the third, fourth, fifth rounds and look to get him tired, look to really capitalize in those later rounds. He’s not someone that is going to come out there and put you away early — he’s done it in the past, but he hasn’t really done it in the UFC. He builds into fights, and has shown in these last three that he’s definitely able to have success later into the fight.”
“Dricus can defend and make the right decisions and concede positions, but that all works in Khamzat’s favor, and if he can suffocate him early — chain wrestle, control him, keep him from getting into any kind of rhythm at all in those first couple rounds — it makes it more difficult for Dricus to just come out in the third or fourth if it gets there and just get rolling. It’s hard to be down 2-0, have a guy all over you, and then come out and just take it to him. Not that he can’t do it, but it’s difficult, especially when it’s a guy like Khamzat that you’re dealing with on the ground.”
