Du Plessis Declares Khamzat Fight the Biggest of His Life as GOAT Quest Heats Up
Kai Montgomery here. Look, I don’t want to gush, but since someone had to say it: Dricus Du Plessis is calling his UFC 319 clash with Khamzat Chimaev the biggest fight of his life, and he means it.
Fine, let’s get the obvious stuff over with. The South African middleweight champion, 31, told TMZ Sports in an interview with Michael Babcock that Saturday’s main event against the undefeated 14-0 Khamzat Chimaev is not only the toughest test he’s faced but also a major stepping stone in his bid to be the greatest fighter ever. He didn’t mumble around it. He said, quote, “This is the best opponent — to date” and called Chimaev “the No. 1 contender in the world” and “the best guy without a title in the world.”
Record-check time, because the internet likes receipts: Du Plessis sits at 23-2 with marquee wins over Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, and Robert Whittaker. Those are not participation trophies. Chimaev, at 14-0, brings an unbeaten résumé and a brutal ascent that has fans and pundits intrigued. Du Plessis is smart enough to know what a win here would do for his legacy — it would vault him into the GOAT conversation, and he didn’t hide that ambition. “I want to be the greatest fighter ever,” he told TMZ. “No doubt. I want to be the GOAT.”
Yes, it’s a bold claim. Yes, every fighter says something similar in some form. But Du Plessis paired the bravado with specificity: he wants to fight the best to earn that status, and in his view, Chimaev is precisely that next best challenge. That’s not smoke and mirrors; that’s a man laying out his ladder rung by rung.
There’s also the theater of the setting, because athletes love symbolism and sometimes it helps performance. Du Plessis admitted walking into Chicago’s United Center and seeing Michael Jordan’s statue gave him goosebumps. He said visiting the monument to “His Airness” and reading the declaration that Jordan was “the best there ever was” fired him up. If a stroll past a bronze basketball legend is the kind of extra motivation a fighter needs, so be it. At least it’s wholesome.
On nerves and hype: Du Plessis insists he’s not phased. He sounds excited, not terrified, promising the fight “will live up to that hype.” That’s the kind of line fighters give when they want to calm sponsors, sell tickets, and maybe convince themselves in the mirror. Still, given the stakes — title defense, face-off against an undefeated contender, and a shot at GOAT buzz — the bravado is understandable.
Context matters. Du Plessis has steadily built a resume of top-tier opponents and big wins. His path isn’t accidental. Beating Chimaev would check a huge box: an undefeated, grappling-heavy finishing machine who has battered his way through opponents with dominant showings. A Du Plessis win would read well on highlight reels, rankings, and in debates about the modern era’s best middleweights.
Possible outcomes? If Du Plessis wins, expect immediate calls to slot him among the era’s elites and a feeding frenzy about legacy fights. If Chimaev wins, the narrative flips: an undefeated contender becomes a new nightmare for the division. Either way, the octagon’s center will be a narrative goldmine.
So yes, the man wants GOAT status, he picked his next climb, and he chose a symbolic battlefield to make the ascent. He’s had major wins; now he wants the signature one. Will words translate to performance? That’s what we’ll watch on fight night.
And if you want my grumpy take? Ambition is fine, but results are louder than interviews. We’ll see if Du Plessis’ talk ages like a trophy or like last season’s press kit.
What to watch: Du Plessis’ strategy against Chimaev’s pressure, and whether the United Center vibe turns into the kind of night that changes a fighter’s legacy.
Closing line: Don’t clap for intentions — wait for the punch that matters.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ Sports, UFC official records
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
