Overview

• At final media day, Du Plessis dared Chimaev to charge at him and insisted he can ‘hunt’ his opponent with sustained pace over five rounds.
• Khamzat Chimaev emphasized upgraded conditioning and a revamped coaching team to counter past stamina doubts in his first title fight.
• A viral fight-week face-off clip sparked debate over Chimaev’s perceived size advantage but Du Plessis attributed it to camera angles.
• Sportsbooks list Chimaev as the approximate -220 favorite and Du Plessis as the +180 underdog for Saturday’s main event.
• Analysts and pundits remain split on whether Chimaev’s early wrestling blitz or Du Plessis’s championship experience will prevail.