Max Holloway Undecided On UFC 319 Showdown

UFC featherweight great Max Holloway believes the betting public is overlooking middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis ahead of his title defense against Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319 this Saturday but he still leans toward “Borz” in the matchup.

Despite du Plessis’ resume, Chimaev enters as a sizable favorite at odds as high as -260, suggesting a 72% implied win probability. Holloway understands the hype surrounding Chimaev but finds it surprising that the reigning champ is such a heavy underdog.

“The champion especially with who the champion beat is an underdog. It’s kinda crazy,” Holloway said on his YouTube channel. “Look at who he beat. He beat a who’s who. Then you look on the opposite side with Chimaev, look what he did. He’s convincing the sh*t out of everybody when he wins his fights.”

The Usman Blueprint

Holloway pointed to Chimaev’s 2023 bout with Kamaru Usman as a potential roadmap for du Plessis, noting that Usman’s “anti-wrestling” strategy was effective in defending takedowns.

“Every time Kamaru Usman decided to anti-wrestle and not wrestle back with Chimaev, he actually defended a takedown,” Holloway explained. “Any time Usman did try to wrestle back with him… guess who won the exchange? Chimaev. If du Plessis took anything… that’s not the way you’re going to beat him. You need to anti-wrestle. Then, maybe later on, you wrestle back.”

Contrasting Journeys

• Chimaev burst onto the scene in 2020, racking up three wins in a matter of weeks, but injuries and other setbacks delayed his first title shot until now. He remains unbeaten in the UFC.

• Du Plessis debuted just months after Chimaev and climbed the ladder steadily, capturing the title and defending it twice with victories over Sean Strickland, Robert Whittaker, and Israel Adesanya.

Holloway’s Pick

While Holloway respects du Plessis’ accomplishments, he admits the matchup feels like a coin flip with Chimaev holding the edge if it ends early.

“The degen gambler in me would go du Plessis, but my mind is going Chimaev,” Holloway said. “And the whole thing with Chimaev that I’m really trying to know in this one is if his cardio is there. … So at the end of the day, I’m not going to pick anybody in the main event. But if it’s a finish, I think it’s Khamzat, and if it goes four rounds or more, I think du Plessis wins a decision or late finish. But three rounds and under, I think it’s a Khamzat fight.”