Dricus du Plessis lays out trash talk gameplan for UFC 319 press conference: ‘I’m chill until you’re not’

We’re hours away from the UFC 319 pre-fight press conference, and fans can’t wait to see what kind of verbal warfare middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis unleashes on challenger Khamzat Chimaev.

Chimaev may be the favorite going into their main event on Saturday night (Aug. 16, 2025), but du Plessis has a history of making his opponents freak out and cry during press conferences. Whether it’s a dead dog or an abusive childhood, there’s no topic too taboo for “Stillknocks” to dig up and deploy during a presser as part of his mental warfare.

That being said, DDP told MMA Guru in a recent interview that there’s a solid chance no nuclear bombs would be dropped on Khamzat Chimaev. All “Borz” has to do is keep things respectful as he has thus far and Dricus will do the same.

“How I do it is, I am not going out there to be a crazy menace in the press conference,” du Plessis said. “I do give you the opportunity to get away from it unscathed. You know, with a guy like Khamzat, he seems like he has turned a new page in his life. So maybe it will be all respectful, it will be about the fight and not [go] there.”

“But if he’s gonna come at me, I’ll be ready. I’ll match the energy, like always. Like, I’m chill until you’re not.”

Du Plessis has gained a reputation for being a top tier troll on social media and at press conferences, but has always maintained that he’s been respectful until disrespected.

“Look at the Strickland presser where things went haywire,” the South African said. “It was really a respectful one until he came and said some stuff, and I was like, okay, let’s do it this way. The same with Adesanya. Maybe this one can be chill, but if not, I’m ready for it. I don’t know what I’m gonna say, but I’ll figure it out.”

Dricus doesn’t have someone who writes trash talk for him like Colby Covington. He just keeps up with MMA news and follows what the online haters like MMA Guru are saying. He collects those razor sharp insults and awaits the perfect moment to drop them.

“Having this information, a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, [he’s] studying these guys,'” du Plessis said. “I’m not studying. I’m just observant. You can’t just bring out random insults. That makes no sense. It’s not funny. I’m not there to play a mad dog game at the press conference. I’m there to be funny.”

“It’s nothing personal for me. It’s just, you know, taking the piss. That’s what it is.”

We’ll see how things go at the UFC 319 press conference, which you can catch live at 6 p.m ET right here on MMAMania.com.