One of the events everyone was eager to see is close to becoming a reality after a long wait. Khamzat Chimaev will face Dricus du Plessis as the challenger in a blockbuster main event at UFC 319, which is sure to be explosive. Dana White managed to bring together two of the best fighters for an unmissable fight card, where the Russian’s grappling game poses a serious threat to the UFC middleweight champion, at least according to Tom Aspinall, the heavyweight titleholder.

Tom Aspinall warns Dricus du Plessis about Khamzat Chimaev

Both fighters made their UFC debut in 2020, but after several bouts in the promotion, their paths finally cross in the main event on August 16. Khamzat Chimaev is the challenger but enters as the favorite in UFC betting to take the title from the South African, with one of the key factors potentially being the Russian’s elite-level Olympic wrestling and MMA grappling.

Aspinall, speaking from firsthand expertise, explained what makes Chimaev so special and why Du Plessis needs to be extremely cautious.

“He basically fights always moving forward. He’s very athletic, throws a lot of feints high and low, and mixes takedowns with heavy strikes. His fighting style is unorthodox: instead of attacking the hips, he goes low, targets the knees, gets on them, and when the opponent tries to sprawl, he quickly moves up to take the back. Once he gets you to the ground and locks in the hook, you’re in his world: he strikes, goes for the neck… His grappling is at an extremely high level,” Aspinall told TNT Sports.

It’s no secret, as half of Chimaev’s eight UFC wins have come by submission. One only needs to look at his last fight, where he applied brutal pressure with a neck crank on Robert Whittaker, sinking his teeth in and forcing a tap-out at 90 seconds.

“Whittaker prepared for over 12 weeks to defend takedowns, and still, Chimaev got the submission in 30 seconds. When he takes the back and gets the hook in, it seems like there’s no escape,” Aspinall concluded.

During UFC 319, we’ll see if Dricus du Plessis can retain his belt against this tough test. For now, the South African boasts an undefeated record in the UFC, just like his opponent, and can also claim an offensive arsenal that could lead to victory by knockout, submission, or decision.