UFC analyst Din Thomas has boldly declared that it’ll be a disaster for the middleweight division if Khamzat Chimaev beats Dricus du Plessis to win the 185lb title.
Thomas says that Khamzat’s recurring issues with health ailments and injuries means there’s a real concern that the division could stagnate if he becomes champion.
“If Khamzat wins it’s a disaster,” Thomas told MMA Junkie. “You can’t tell me a part of you isn’t just thinking, ‘This fight might not actually happen.’ Some of these guys habitual struggle in just making it to the dance. I’m not going to be pessimistic about it and will say he’s going to show up. But if he does show up and he’s able to win, do we trust him to be able to show up and fight again? That’s the thing.
“Can he do it twice? Can he do it three times? Because we need movement. I hate when it’s static and there’s no movement in these divisions and in order to be movement in the divisions, the champions have to fight.”
Despite his concerns, Thomas believes that it’s actually du Plessis who will emerge with the victory at UFC 319.
“I think Dricus wins,” Thomas said. “I think he beats him and wears him out earlier, actually, and even before the fifth round. It think he could get a stoppage somewhere in the third. Not just weathering the storm, but matching the pace, being a little more efficient in areas and we just start to see Khamzat slow down a little bit and Dricus take over.”
