Ex-UFC champ rejects notion that Khamzat Chimaev beating Dricus du Plessis would be disastrous for the UFC 

A former UFC champion recently dismissed claims that Khamzat Chimaev dethroning Dricus du Plessis would be disastrous for the UFC. The individual argued that a title win would only elevate Chimaev’s superstar status.

Chimaev is set to challenge du Plessis for the middleweight title in the main event of UFC 319 on Aug. 16 at the United Center in Chicago. Last month, MMA analyst Din Thomas spoke to Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, expressing doubts about Chimaev’s reliability as a champion due to his history of withdrawals. Notably, the undefeated contender has competed only three times since September 2022.

However, Thomas' remarks didn't sit well with Belal Muhammad, who recently posted a YouTube video and said:

''Earlier this week, Din Thomas said Chimaev wins the belt, it's going to be a disaster. I don't know what the fudge Din Thomas is talking about, but I think he's way off on this one. I think it'll be one of the biggest things for the UFC if Chimaev wins the belt... He already has that invincible aura about him...I think you go out there, finish him dominantly or even like Khabib said, just strike with him. I think he could outstrike him. He'll make it look easy if he keeps it on his feet.''

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Check out Belal Muhammad's comments below:

As for Muhammad, he made his first welterweight title defense against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 earlier this year. The Australian put on a striking masterclass, dismissing Muhammad’s takedown attempts and cruising to a dominant unanimous decision victory.

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Belal Muhammad believes Khamzat Chimaev will capture the UFC gold

Khamzat Chimaev has the opportunity to dethrone middleweight kingpin Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319.

In the aforementioned YouTube video, former 170-pound champion Belal Muhammad offered his thoughts on the title fight. He backed Chimaev to defeat du Plessis in a dominant fashion:

''I think Dricus has a chin. He has cardio. He has awkward style. He has toughness, but I think Chimaev is a lot cleaner if he keeps his standing. I think he'll be able to keep that pace the whole five rounds and even hurt him. He showed a lot of his power and he's shown that he's working hard. He's only getting stronger at 185, showing his body is forming out. So, I do think he could do it dominantly...I think [Chimaev] wins. I hope he wins. Dricus, you suck.'' [0:38]

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena