There is a lot of talk about the middleweight champion of the UFC and its unique style.
On Thursday, Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat were against Chimaev during the UFC 319 press conference, which fans became even more enthusiastic about Fight Night.
Although Chimaev has his own secret weapon that he brings to the table, his opponent has also proven to be an incredibly difficult puzzle to solve.
'Still Knocks' is not the most aesthetically attractive hunter, but his undefeated run in the Octagon has forced people to give him credit.
His uncomfortable style has proven to be a huge problem for his opponents, even if they believe they are much more refined than he is.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Ernesto Hooost refers to his losses to Bob Sapp when it is falling into why it is difficult to combat unconventional opponents such as Dricus du Plessis
If there is a hunter who is in a good position to talk about flawless technology and the art of standing out, it is' Mr. Perfect'.
Four-time K1 world champion Ernesto Hoost was famous for his machine-like version of combinations during his legendary kickboxing career.
For all the incredible performance of the Dutchman, he suffered his considerable part of setbacks along the way, with two in particular who are disturbing him to this day.
In 2002, Hoost bumped into Bob Sapp twice, with the American stopping him on both occasions in the first round.
The difference in kickboxing skills between them was seismic, but because of his size and the way he fought, Sapp seemed to have his opponent's number.
In a recent exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, Hoost was asked, in connection with UFC 319, about combating unorthodox opponents and what makes this so difficult.
He immediately started thinking about his two fights with SAPP and how these results still annoy him, because, despite the fact that he believed that he was a much better technical hunter than his former rival, he could not beat him.
“Of course I had the Bob SAPP problem. The fight came at the wrong time when I still had problems with my skin. I now know how to deal with it, but in those days it wasn't right … I didn't really want to fight him because I still think he's not a real hunter, he is a comedian.
“He did all kinds of uncomfortable things, grabbed me with one hand and then hit me as a street fighting style and the referee did not interfere, and things like that. That was a great frustration.
“It was so frustrating, because so far I don't think Bob Sapp is a kick boxer or a good kick boxer and yet I lost that guy … That will always be something that, a fight with such a uncomfortable man. Yes, it will always be a frustration for me.”
Joe Rogan compared Dricus du Plessis with Merab Dvalishvili when breaking out UFC 319
Although Dricus Du Plessis is clearly an elite hunter, there are some parallels to be drawn between how some of his opponents have felt about him and how Eresto Hoost reflects on his losses to Bob Sapp.
This uncomfortable style that 'Stillknocks' has been incredibly effective with the means that he does not get the credit that he deserves, although this has started to change lately.
In a recent episode of the JRE MMA show, Joe Rogan du Plessis compared Merab Dvalishvili and spoke with Matt Serra about how du plessis has certain skills that might go under the radar, despite how impressive they are.
“He is a monster, and you know this (Serra) because you work with Merab, there are boys who reach this level of discipline and they reach a level of cardio vascular performance that is just above those of everyone and then they maintain it,” Rogan said.
“The amount of hard work is extremely to reach that level and I think Dricus is a kind of similar thing, I think that guy works so hard that he can fight and fight full explosion.”