Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev have been surprisingly respectful in the immediate lead up to their UFC 319 main event, which is scheduled for this weekend (Aug. 16, 2025) inside United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The civility is surprising for a couple reasons. First and foremost, they’ve exchanged quite a few barbs online in the past (more on that later). Both men clearly see themselves as the baddest man in town — even more than the average MMA fighter! — and it’s a natural source of friction. Then, these’s Du Plessis’ well-earned reputation as the nastiest trash talker in the sport right now. Fans have become accustomed to “DDP” zingers in recent years, as well as his habit of making opponents cry in the lead up.
Ahead of UFC 319, let’s go back and compile some of Du Plessis’ nastiest moments on the mic:
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 06: Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa is seen on stage during the UFC 312 press conference on February 06, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
I cannot claim to have attended all of Du Plessis’ pre-UFC press conferences. Presumably, there were quite a few cutting remarks in the 16-bouts prior to his UFC debut. All we can say for certain is that ahead of EFC 62 in August 2017, Du Plessis roasted soon-to-be guillotine victim Yannick Bahati. It’s a classic example of Du Plessis’ deeply personal and researched trash talk, as he accused Bahati of not spending enough time with his children.
Bahati was nearly too stunned to speak!
LAS VEGAS, NV – DECEMBER 10: (R-L) Dricus Du Plessis submits Darren Till in their Middleweight fight during the UFC 282 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 10, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. (Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Du Plessis didn’t appreciate former foe Darren Till advising future foe Israel Adesanya last year ahead of their Middleweight title clash. “Stillknocks” took particular issue with Till claiming he won the first round (he did not) of their bout, and he mocked Till for getting taken down in his recent influencer boxing match.
”I mean, the man [Darren Till] got taken down by a boxer,” Du Plessis laughed (via SportsKeeda). “Maybe try and, you know, practice what you preach, man. The man couldn’t stop a single takedown. The man said he won two rounds. He didn’t win two rounds. He’s crazy. I finished him, out-struck him, took him down, finished him in the third round … The man’s in a downward spiral. And, hopefully, this coaching gig works out for him. But what I saw in terms of how easy it would be to beat me, why didn’t he do it?”
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 18: Islam Makhachev of Russia reacts after a submission victory against Renato Moicano of Brazil in the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Remember when Islam Makhachev and his camp were talking about jumping two weight classes and 30 pounds to challenge for Du Plessis title? That was a silly moment in time. Du Plessis never seemed particularly interested or concerned by the challenge, but his two word comeback in the direction of Makhachev was pretty slicing.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 19: Belal Muhammad fights against Geoff Neal during their welterweights fight at UFC Fight Night at Barclays Center on January 19, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) Getty Images
Like Islam above, Muhammad’s beef with “DDP” began because he claimed he could jump up in weight and easily dispatch the South African kingpin. This beef is actually ongoing, as Muhammad claimed earlier this week that Du Plessis wasn’t welcome in his home city of Chicago. Somebody oughta tell “DDP,” who has been busy throwing first pitches and training with the Bears.
It sure feels like a warm reception in “The Windy City.”
“Belal Muhamad … I can’t even remember the way he fights,” du Plessis said in February. “Has he ever finished anyone? I like how he acts as if he has a choice to ever go up to 185. UFC will never let him. He would have to give up his belt, and there is no way they give him a title shot.
“UFC doesn’t even like Belal Muhammad,” du Plessis added. “He hasn’t even defended his belt once. He’s definitely better on Twitter than he is in fights.”
When Muhammad lost his title to Jack Della Maddalena earlier this year, Du Plessis kept his response simple:
… and just this week, Du Plessis quipped that “more people hate [Belal] than know him,” a statistic that surely irritates “Remember The Name!”
Shara “Bullet” is one of the many who don’t like Du Plessis’ style and don’t understand his success. He picks against “DDP” consistently and expects Khamzat to run through him. Naturally, Du Plessis doesn’t much like “The Pirate” as a result, and he took to X after Magomedov’s loss to Michael Page to rub it in a bit.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 13: Khamzat Chimaev poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session on August 13, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Though this week has been quiet and their in-person meeting was respectful on both sides, Khamzat and Du Plessis has traded plenty of shots in the last year or two. This town, quite simply, ain’t big enough for the both of them, and we’ll find out who is the real Middleweight king Saturday night.
Until then, enjoy some throwback “DDP” trash talk.
After Khamzat criticized Du Plessis’ dominant win over Strickland earlier this year, “Stillknocks” said the following: “I hope we can make it happen at International Fight Week. When his tweets make sense, it’s his agent, and when it’s random English words, it’s him. He called it a bulls—t fight; well, try and get to a fight. He couldn’t get the Welterweight title,” du Plessis concluded. “Definitely not getting the Middleweight title. Talk about a waste of potential.”
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland fought twice for the UFC title, meaning there have multiple press conferences and plenty of opportunity for the duo to talk trash. Generally, the rematch was pretty quiet on that front, but perhaps Du Plessis’ most infamous moment came in the lead up the UFC 297, the site of their first battle.
At UFC seasonal press conference — not even one specific to their fight! — Du Plessis brought up Strickland’s abusive father and visibly rattled the defending champion.
After the initial barrage of curse words, Strickland threatened to stab “DDP” if he kept up that line of trash talk. Du Plessis agreed to reign it in, and the two have kept it pretty mild ever since.
Did Du Plessis go too far in that exchange? The Du Plessis defense is that, well, it’s Sean Strickland, who has said awful s—t on countless occasions and has no right to the moral high ground.
“He had a lot to say about Khalil Rountree, and he said how weak of a man Khalil is for crying,” du Plessis said (via MMA Fighting). “He did the exact same thing, just on a bigger stage. Not talking about somebody’s wife. I’m assuming because he has somebody in his life now, that became a thing. He didn’t care about Ian Garry’s wife when he said what he said. It wasn’t his place to say anything, but whatever.
“He’s a funny character. I actually quite enjoy him. The hypocrisy is what made me — that was the one area where people could lose respect for Sean Strickland, because he’s always unapologetically himself. But as soon as he got his own medicine, as soon as he was on the receiving end for the very first time, when I got on that mic, we saw him backpedal and try to play for sympathy. He wanted sympathy. He was acting like he had that victim mentality immediately. You can’t do that if you say the things you say. Talking about people who can’t dodge busses on a fighter who died. Is that not over the line? You, Mr. Moral Compass, doesn’t decide where the line is. He doesn’t have the right to decide where that line is. Now, all of a sudden, the line is where he wants it to be? No. I don’t think so.”
Photo by Will Russell/Zuffa LLC
If you don’t know why the Adesanya vs. Du Plessis beef started, the long answer can be found right here. The short version is this: the feud didn’t really heat up until March 2023 at UFC 285. In the lead up to his bout versus Derek Brunson, “DDP” controversially got some beef brewing with the champion by questioning if Adesanya — and Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman by extension — were true African champions since they lived and trained in other countries. Du Plessis, conversely, lives in South Africa and “breathes African air,” which in his opinion counts for more.
Right off the bat, that’s some cutting and sensitive trash talk, and the two weren’t even booked to fight yet!
At the UFC 305 press conference, Du Plessis asked the question, “Will you be taking the servants with you?” to Adesanya, referencing Adesanya’s 2020 ESPN profile piece in which Adesanya described not knowing how to bathe himself until he was eight because servants were the ones who did that for him. “Stylebender” exploded in anger!
Another angle Du Plessis went after was Adesanya’s complicated history with dogs …
“I think he said, ‘don’t kiss me,’ as far as I know,” Du Plessis told Submission Radio about their UFC 305 staredown. “He said, ‘don’t go kissing me now.’ I said, ‘I’m no dog, so I won’t.’”
Based on the above, where would you rank Dricus Du Plessis among the likes of legendary trash talkers Chael Sonnen and Conor McGregor? Is there anyone else with the same verbal gift for destruction still competing in the Octagon right now? And lastly, is there any chance the verbal games affect Khamzat in the slightest?
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MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE CAR CRASH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its 2025 pay-per-view (PPV) schedule on Sat., Aug. 16, 2025, with a blockbuster title fight set to headline UFC 319 from inside United Center in Chicago, Illinois. In UFC 319’s PPV main event, Middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, defends his title against undefeated No. 3-ranked contender, Khamzat Chimaev, in a high-stakes, five-round battle of unbeaten UFC records. UFC 319’s PPV co-main event features a Featherweight showdown between Lerone Murphy and promotional newcomer, Aaron Pico, a high-profile free-agent signing stepping in on short notice. UFC 319 will also showcase a Welterweight clash between Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates, a Middleweight bout pitting Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page, a Flyweight matchup featuring Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura, and much more! UFC 319’s start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (“Early Prelims”), 8 p.m. ET (“Prelims” undercard), and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card)
