Gilbert Burns issues definitive prediction for Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev title fight: "The guy doesn't quit"

Gilbert Burns has felt the power of Khamzat Chimaev inside the octagon and the pressure of Dricus du Plessis in training. He took Chimaev into deep water in a razor-close war at UFC 273 and later spent time training alongside du Plessis when the South African was still grinding his way up the ranks.

According to Burns, du Plessis walks out of Chicago with his belt because he simply refuses to fade. Burns sees the matchup playing out with a clear tipping point. If Chimaev doesn’t put Du Plessis away early, he believes the momentum will flip.

Previewing the clash in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Burns said:

"It's a very tough fight. Dricus is a monster. I trained a lot with Dricus when he was at Hard Knocks, unbelievably strong for that division, very big too, crazy gas tank. He looks tired, you look at him, 'Oh, he's getting tired,' but he's not. Hits very hard, does both stances, grappling defense [has also gotten] a lot better. I think right now he's going to focus on that to not get submitted."

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He added:

"And guess what? If Chimaev doesn't finish him in the first, or give him one more round, the second round, I don't think he can. I think it's going to be a long night, and Dricus can keep coming, keep coming. He gets stronger as the rounds are going. The guy doesn't quit, he doesn't break so, I got to go with Dricus on that one."

Check out Gilbert Burns' comments below (6:00):

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Robert Whittaker previews UFC 319 title fight between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev

Robert Whittaker has been in the cage with both Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev. That experience gives him a sharp perspective heading into UFC 319.

The former UFC middleweight champion was stopped by du Plessis via second-round knockout and later submitted by Chimaev in under four minutes after a two-fight win streak. With both men now set to clash for the middleweight title, Whittaker sees the matchup hinging on the opening round.

Previewing the fight in a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Whittaker said:

"If you can’t get Dricus out in the first, which Chimaev can do, first-round finishes are his thing, right? But if he doesn’t get him out of there, I think Dricus looks good, very promising. He’s a guy that if you don’t get rid of, he kind of wins.”

Catch Robert Whittaker's comments below (15:45):

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar