Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev look ready to tear each other apart just days away from their middleweight title fight in the UFC 319 main event.
On Thursday, champion and challenger came face-to-face with UFC CEO Dana White doing his best to ensure the main event didn’t start two days early. While there was no pushing or shoving, du Plessis and Chimaev were staring holes through each other during a tense staredown following the UFC 319 pre-fight press conference.
Advertisement
When White eventually got between them, du Plessis just continued staring back at Chimaev, who seemed to embrace the crowd before repeatedly chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is the greatest) before leaving the stage.
It was clear that the Chicago faithful in attendance were very pro-Chimaev as the entire place erupted whenever he got a chance to speak while du Plessis was showered with boos repeatedly. Chimaev got the biggest reaction when he vowed to destroy du Plessis and send him back home to South Africa without the UFC title around his waist.
“I’m just going to go and f*ck him up,” Chimaev said. “That’s it. Africa is never going to see the belt again.”
For his part, du Plessis seemed to embrace playing the villain and he actually invited the crowd to get even louder whenever he attempted to speak.
Advertisement
While the fighters have remained respectful in the days leading up to the fight, du Plessis promised that he’s coming to take out Chimaev and leave UFC 319 as the middleweight champion.
“We all have our motivations,” du Plessis said. “The motivations differ, the outcome will be the same. I’m walking out there champion. He’s getting his money whether he wins or loses. It’s a good day at the office for him. I’ll only be satisfied when I walk out of there with my belt.”
The main event fighters are set to face off one more time on Friday during the official weigh-ins and then they’ll clash in the five-round main event at UFC 319 on Saturday.