T.J. Dillashaw: Khamzat Chimaev has 'to break in practice' to beat Dricus Du Plessis
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) challenges Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) for the middleweight title in the UFC 319 headliner on Aug. 16 from United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
No one has been able to stop Chimaev's explosive starts, most recently Robert Whittaker who was quickly submitted at UFC 308. However, when Chimaev hasn't been able to finish his opponents, he visibly slowed down against Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman in what were three-round fights.
"Chimaev needs to get on that Sam Calavitta cardio because that's his only downfall is getting tired," Dillashaw said on the "JAXXON PODCAST." "DDP ain't going to get tired. He needs to work on topping red line stuff. He goes for the kill, and you can only do that for so long. You have to train that section. Everyone's heart rate, you get into the red zone, you start producing lactic acid, you get tired.
"The only way to make that better is to be in that red zone for as long as possible, and train to be there longer and also get used to it mentally. I would put a lot more money on Chimaev if he trains the right way for his cardio. If he doesn't train his cardio the right way, it's going to be hard for him to put DDP away and DDP's going to get him in the later rounds and gas him out."
Dillashaw wants to see Chimaev seriously pushed in practice. He warns him that if he doesn't prepare right, Du Plessis will outlast him.
"He's good, he's strong, his grappling is better, he's got good, technical striking," Dillashaw said of Chimaev. "I just don't think he has the gas tank if he doesn't finish DDP to win the fight. ...If Chimaev's going to win this fight, he's got to break in practice. So you've got to bring in enough guys to break him because he's going to beat up his training partners. If you're not getting beat up in training, you're not training at the right spot."
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