Fans have seen Khamzat Chimaev be quick and vicious in his unbeaten run in the UFC the past six years.
They’ve also seen him take his time and drown his opponents for 25 minutes – or at the very least, have them extend his work night a little.
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The last time fans saw Chimaev was nine months ago when he dominated Dricus du Plessis to win the middleweight title at UFC 319 in Chicago. The fight was du Plessis’ first attempted defense of the 185-pound belt he took from Sean Strickland.
And Strickland (30-7 MMA, 17-7 UFC) happens to be the man Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) is set to face in the UFC 328 (Paramount+) main event Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The question is, will the fight look like Chimaev’s wins over DDP, former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns? Or will it be more akin to his quick wins over the likes of ex-champ Robert Whittaker, Kevin Holland or Li Jingliang?
Chimaev is a heavy 6-1 favorite against Strickland – which makes him one of the biggest underdogs in UFC title fight history. Working in Strickland’s favor? He was a bigger underdog than 6-1 when he upset Israel Adesanya to win the title in 2023.
Ahead of Saturday’s title tilt, check out Chimaev’s win over du Plessis above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 319 full fight video: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Dricus du Plessis
