A former UFC champion has outlined what Khamzat Chimaev has to do behind the scenes to have a chance against Dricus du Plessis.
After Ilia Topuria Charles Oliveira had turned off to catch the lightweight belt and flying the King Alexandre Pantoja Kai Kara-France with ease at UFC 317, the back of the division will no longer be on the line until August 16.
UFC 319 takes place on that night in Chicago, Kop due to the title defense of middleweight champion du Plessis against Chimaev.
'Borz' wants to be crowned as an undefeated hunter, but an ex-PUC star thinks he will struggle unless he trains correctly.
TJ Dillashaw says that Khamzat Chimaev must 'break' in the camp before challenging Dricus du Plessis on UFC 319
During a recent episode of the Jaxxon Podcast, the former Bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw looked ahead to the UFC 319 Pay-per-View Main Event alongside Luke Rockhold and 'Rampage' Jackson.
Many support the challenger to leave Chicago with the title after his dominant UFC -Run, who recently saw Chimaev Robert Whittaker crushing with a face crank.
Dillashaw, however, thinks that the Chechen star can get into trouble if he is not pushed to the limit by enough training partners in his camp.
“He has to work on the peak of Red Line dings. He goes for the murder, and you can only do that for so long,” Dillashaw said. “You have to train that part.
“The heartbeat of everyone, you get into the red zone, you start producing lactic acid and you get tired.
“I would stop much more money on Chimaev if he trains in the right way for his cardio. If he does not train his cardio correctly, it will be more difficult to put DDP away and DDP will set him up in the later rounds (after) take him out.
“I don't think he has the gas tank when he's not finished with DDP,” Dillashaw added. “If Chimaev is going to win this fight, he has to break in practice. So you have to bring in enough boys to break him. … If you are not beaten up in training, you will not train in the right place.”
Dricus du Plessis' ominous warning for Khamzat Chimaev
Du Plessis has often proven that his doubters are wrong when it comes to both his unorthodox style and the ability to push the pace for five rounds.
And with that in mind, he is apparently extremely confidence in his chances against a man whose cardio remains a talk point in the run -up to his first title challenge.
“I don't care how good you think you are, how difficult, how fit or how strong,” wrote du Plessis on Instagram.
“When you step into that octagon with me, it will be a first experience and not a pleasant one.
“That is a promise. As we say in (South Africa) built differently !! #stillknocks #prparetomeamazed.”