The largest UFC fight of the year is a month away.
Middle weights are central to UFC 319 while Champion Drus Du Plessis will defend his title against the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev on August 16 in Chicago.
Du Plessis and Chimaev are both unbeaten in the UFC. The champion wins on Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland (twice) and Robert Whittaker. Chimaev was given a title shot after back-to-back victories over former champions Kamaru Usman and Whittaker.
The long -awaited middleweight title fight is one of the most interesting stylistic matchups that we have seen in the recent memory. The unorthodox du plessis is very well completed and has always found a way to win, while Chimaev is just as competent as they come up with his insane pedigree in wrestling and grab.
Who is at the top in Chicago? A former champion who has been trained with both hunters has shared his insight.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty images
Luke Rockhold says that Khamzat Chimaev is not 'five -round material'
Chimaev has never reached the championship rounds in the UFC.
The undefeated hunter has only seen the third round in his career twice and those were a hard -fought decision victories over Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman.
Chimaev is the strong starter he is, former UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold asking if Du Plessis will survive his attack in the first two rounds.
“He's finished,” Rockhold said about Chimaev on Submission Radio.
“He is a wrestler. He is a grappler. He gets ruthless pressure. He starts quickly and hard.
'Can take Dricus [those] First two rounds? That is what life is about for his opponents.
“Can he resist the barrage because he is going to break you …”
But what happens to Chimaev if Du Persis does not break?
“I don't like those opportunities for him,” Rockhold said about the chances of Chimaev if Du Plessis gets the later rounds.
“I trained a lot with DDP. He is tough. He doesn't go away.
“You have to dominate it from start to finish, or you have to finish it early. I just don't see how Khamzat will keep that pressure. His intensity, you can only keep that for so long. That's not five round material,” Rockhold claimed.
“DDP is tough. He is heavy as F— Hell. People don't give him much praise. He is just awkward. He has a strange timing and rhythm and he is good. He is very confronted. He is very confident. He has a good degree, decent wrestling, and some funky a strike,” works, “works.”
Luke Rockhold makes boxing debut against Darren until August 30th
Regarding his own fighting career, the former UFC and Strikeforce champion will enter the boxing ring later this summer.
Rockhold Headlines Misfits Boxing 22 on 30 August against colleague UFC veteran Darren Till.
This is Rockhold's pro -box debut. The 40-year-old Rockhold previously fought in Bareknuckle boxing, where he lost to Mike Perry in his first fight after the UFC in 2023. Rockhold comes from a TKO victory on Joe Schilling on Karate Combat 45 in April 2024.
His opponent Darren Till is a former UFC title and a teammate of Khamzat Chimaev's. Until it's 3-0 as a boxer.
Also on the map is former UFC-Interim-Lichtweight champion Tony Ferguson in his first performance after UFC against Influencer Salt Papi.