The Springboks are back in action this Saturday as they tackle Australia in their Rugby Championship opener, but many sports fans will also be just as interested in Dricus du Plessis’ UFC title defence.
Du Plessis (23-2) has in fact not lost since October 2018, and will attempt to knock Khamzat Chimaev from the ranks of the unbeaten as he returns to the Octagon in what will be his third fight in defence of his UFC middleweight belt.
Due to the time difference, the main card is scheduled to start from 04:00 (SA time) this Sunday morning, but the exact time will also be determined by the length of the preliminary fights prior to the Du Plessis-Chimaev bout.
For those wanting to get up early for this fight, it does mean they might need to take it a little easy during the braais and ‘watch parties’ that will undoubtedly be taking place around South Africa for the Springboks-Wallabies clash.
That Rugby Championship encounter will kick off at 17:10 at Ellis Park, while it also can’t be forgotten that this will be followed later in the night by the battle between the All Blacks and Argentina in Córdoba (23:10 kick off time in SA).
WHAT ARE YOUR PREDICTIONS FOR THE SPRINGBOKS’ GAME AND DRICUS DU PLESSIS FIGHT?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
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HOW THE BOKS WILL LINE UP
Springboks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Siya Kolisi (captain), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit , 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Canan Moodie, 23 Damian Willemse.
UFC 319: DU PLESSIS VS. CHIMAEV – MAIN CARD
– Main event: Middleweight Championship: Dricus du Plessis v Khamzat Chimaev
– Featherweight: Lerone Murphy v Aaron Pico
– Welterweight: Geoff Neal v Carlos Prates
– Middleweight: Jared Cannonier v Michael Page
– Flyweight: Tim Elliott v Kai Asakura
