“Mentally, I cannot be broken. It is impossible.” Chimaev is no stranger to being the villain during fight weeks. That was certainly the case when backstage scuffles and a huge weight miss in September 2022 led to fans booing and fighters like Georges St-Pierre criticizing Chimaev’s conduct at UFC 279.

Dricus Du Plessis' wrestling defense was not up to par at UFC 319. | Getty/UFC Dricus Du Plessis' coach still thinks he can solve the puzzle of Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev challenged Du Plessis for the middleweight title in the main event at UFC 319 on Saturday in Chicago.

UFC 319 is officially set to take place at the United Center, headlined by a highly anticipated matchup between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.

Khamzat Chimaev has looked the part of a pound-for-pound great from the first time he stepped into the Octagon in 2020. In the opening round of his UFC debut, Chimaev landed 118 strikes, the second most by a middleweight in any round in the promotion's history.