Michael Bisping, a former UFC middleweight champion, expressed his disbelief regarding the betting odds for the upcoming title defense featuring Dricus du Plessis. Bisping is astonished that du Plessis is currently listed as the underdog.
Du Plessis is set to make his third defense of the middleweight championship against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on August 16th in Chicago. Despite an impressive recent run that includes victories over top fighters like Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya, and Sean Strickland, du Plessis is currently positioned as a +150 underdog according to FanDuel. Chimaev, meanwhile, is a significant favorite at -194.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bisping questioned the odds, highlighting du Plessis’ proven ability in high-pressure championship fights and contrasting it with Chimaev`s known tendency to experience a significant drop in pace as fights extend into later rounds.
“The fact that they`ve got Dricus du Plessis as the underdog is insane,” Bisping stated. He praised the champion, noting, “The man can wrestle, he’s got great jiu-jitsu, he’s big for the weight class, and more importantly, he has a gas tank. He has had no problems going five rounds.”
Bisping then pointed to Chimaev`s past performances that went the distance. “The two times Khamzat went to a decision was when he couldn’t get the finish in the first or second round. That`s when Gilbert Burns started to take over. That`s when Kamaru Usman had a lot of success and settled the score and it almost came out as a draw.” He emphasized the difference in fight length for the upcoming bout: “And now it’s not three rounds, it’s five rounds.” Bisping believes Chimaev`s aggressive style is unlikely to change: “The way that Khamzat Chimaev fights is the way that he fights. He ain`t going to change. If it ain`t broke, don`t fix it.”
Chimaev boasts an undefeated professional record of 14-0, although his bouts against Burns and Usman were highly competitive. Usman is a former welterweight champion. Chimaev is renowned for his explosive finishes, with five of his eight UFC victories ending in the opening round, alongside notable periods of inactivity throughout his career.
While acknowledging Chimaev`s impressive achievements, Bisping speculated that experiencing a loss earlier in his career might actually have benefited him in the long run by forcing adjustments.
“When you lose fights, you say, `Well, I never really lost. It was a chance to learn,`” Bisping commented. “And that is true. When you do lose, you address some things. You address your preparation. You address your weight cut. You address your diet. You address all kinds of shit that you might have been doing wrong and one of those things might be that I address the fact that I don`t pace myself.” He reiterated his point about Chimaev`s likely approach: “As I said, if it ain`t broke, don`t fix it.”
Bisping predicts a fast start from the challenger. “He’s going to go full steam ahead. Khamzat Chimaev is going to go right at him. He ain`t going to mess about, he’s going to swing for the fences, he’s going to pick him up, he’s going to try and slam him down. He’s going to go berserk. He’s going to go mental and that’s what we love about him. That’s why we can’t wait to see this fight.” However, he foresees a shift if the fight goes long: “But if he doesn’t get him out of there in the first round or the second round and he’s starting to gas come Round 3, and Round 4 and Round 5 he is looking to be anywhere else but in the middle of the octagon in the United Center, Dricus du Plessis’ going to take over and that man is a big, powerful son of a gun and he is a finisher as well.”
