Dana White is extremely confident that Dricus du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev will deliver in a big way.
Following two low-hype cards at the Apex facility in Las Vegas, the UFC is back on the road to stage the latest pay-per-view from the United Center in Chicago on August 16.
Championship stakes will be present in the main event, as Khamzat Chimaev challenges Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title in UFC 319’s curtain closer.
The highly anticipated clash has been widely branded tough to pick, with many falling on each side of the matchup. The UFC boss, however, has made one confident prediction that he thinks has no chance of failing…
Dana White guarantees Dricus du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev will be UFC 319’s ‘Fight of the Night’
Du Plessis and Chimaev’s title clash tops an intriguing lineup that features plenty of notable names and exciting pairings. That includes Aaron Pico’s debut against Lerone Murphy in the co-main event, as well as returns for Michael ‘Venom’ Page, Kai Asakura, Carlos Prates, Edson Barboza, and Jessica Andrade.
The stacked nature of the card would seem to make the ‘Fight of the Night’ tough to predict, but not for Dana White.
During an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, the UFC president said there is “no way” the main event does not warrant the $50,000 checks.
“It is hard to not talk about this main event,” White said. “Khamzat Chimaev is back, actually fighting in the United States.
“That fight is gonna be badass. There is no way that the main event is not the Fight of the Night.
“The card is gonna be badass…but with all the great undercard fights, I would still say it’s impossible for the main event not to be the Fight of the Night,” White added.
Dricus du Plessis will have a request for Dana White after UFC 319
Du Plessis fully intends on becoming the first to defeat Chimaev in MMA, and he already has his plans lined up for after such a feat.
While focusing on a puzzle yet to be cracked in the form of ‘Borz’, the champ has put his push for the UFC to head to his home country and continent for the very first time on pause.
But should he emerge from UFC 319 with the middleweight title still with him, Du Plessis plans to push White to grant his dream of a title defense in South Africa.
“The right people were speaking to each other,” Du Plessis told Scott Fontana for the New York Post. “I was involved in these conversations, (but) as soon as this fight was made, my attention shifted to this fight.
“I know the conversations are there between the UFC and South Africa, and the sports ministers, and the cities, and the arenas — everything is in conversation.
“But as an update on where we are, I don’t have anything,” Du Plessis added. “That is definitely something that I will get after as soon as I am done after this fight. … The UFC is now massive (in South Africa). The country is so behind the UFC and myself, behind me fighting.
“(I am) making sure the right people speak to the right people, almost introducing the right people to each other, making sure the people that need to make it happen speak to the right people who can make it happen. That is my role.”
