“Mentally, I cannot be broken. It is impossible.” Chimaev is no stranger to being the villain during fight weeks. That was certainly the case when backstage scuffles and a huge weight miss in September 2022 led to fans booing and fighters like Georges St-Pierre criticizing Chimaev’s conduct at UFC 279.

In a 5-round middleweight championship bout in the main event, Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev meet Saturday at UFC 319 in Chicago.