Joe Rogan Sounds Alarm on Khamzat Chimaev’s Biggest Weakness Ahead of UFC 319: “Can He Survive Dricus du Plessis’ Relentless 5-Round Pace?”

In a fiery breakdown on episode #169 of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan painted a stark contrast between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev’s fighting styles.

Chimaev is a blitzing powerhouse—launching into opponents with explosive takedowns and suffocating ground control right from the opening bell. But Rogan questions whether “Borz” can keep that breakneck pace for the full championship distance:

“Does he have the confidence to empty the tank and get the finish? And if he doesn’t, how f*cked is he? Can he sprint for five rounds? Because we know DDP can.”

Du Plessis, by contrast, is a relentless pressure machine—one who gets stronger the deeper the fight goes. He proved it in a brutal five-round war with Sean Strickland at UFC 297, never slowing down despite breathing troubles. After surgery to fix those issues, his cardio is even sharper, and Rogan believes his stamina could be the decisive factor if the UFC 319 main event drags into deep waters.

Drawing parallels to endurance beast Merab Dvalishvili, Rogan praised Du Plessis’ insane work ethic and ability to fight “full blast” from bell to bell:

“There’s guys that reach this level of discipline and achieve a cardio performance above everyone else’s… Dricus is one of those guys.”

With UFC gold and bragging rights on the line, the question is clear: can Chimaev handle a marathon war against one of the sport’s most relentless grinders—or will DDP’s gas tank break him?