Dricus Du Plessis lost his UFC middleweight crown after a dominant performance from the challenger.
The South African had won the middleweight title after defeating Sean Strickland in 2024, but after two successful defences, he was knocked off his perch by Khamzat Chimaev.
Du Plessis was adamant in the build-up that he would give the challenger a ‘taste of his own medicine’; instead, Chimaev utilised his wrestling skills to manhandle the champion for over 20 minutes of the contest.
Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images
While it is a big setback after a successful reign, the 31-year-old has yet to be finished in his UFC career.
Dricus Du Plessis’s instant reaction after his UFC 319 loss to Khamzat Chimaev
This was his first loss in MMA since a 2018 knockout defeat to Roberto Soldić.
Nevertheless, he showed massive respect to Khamzat and remained very gracious after being overwhelmed throughout the five rounds of Octagon action.
After the new champion had celebrated his victory with his team, ‘Stillknocks’ was interviewed by Joe Rogan on the broadcast for his reaction to the loss.
The fighter gave his verdict on the new king of the middleweights and said: “The man has incredible control on the top.
“He’s just like a blanket. It wasn’t a matter of strength. It wasn’t that physical, it was almost as if he knew what your next move was going to be.
“He got it without using too much power, and I had to decide, am I going to be on my back or have him on my back? At the end, I went for it, had the back. I could almost taste that victory, but big ups to Khamzat.”
It was previously suggested that the cardio of DDP would be the difference down the stretch, but he was not able to show any of that when the Chechen held him down in crucifixes.
He ended his interview by giving the newly crowned titlist full respect and delivering a message to his fans on his next move.
Dricus said: “He deserves this 100 percent.
“He beat me fair and square tonight. He was the better man tonight and I’ll be back, and I’m coming to get my belt back. But for now it’s his and he deserves it. … I’ll be back stronger and better than ever.”
Khamzat Chimaev breaks insane UFC record of total strikes landed in a single fight
Apart from his time on the canvas, which granted him the most success, ‘Borz’ now holds a fight record for the total amount of strikes landed.
While the star worked his magic in the clinches, he peppered his opponent at will with 529 total strikes over the course of the championship rounds.
This is a new record for the organisation, smashing the previous holder, Max Holloway (447), in his iconic fight with Calvin Kattar.
The cumulative damage would have been enough to stop more fighters, but it is a credit to the grit and determination of the former belt holder that he was able to hang in there for the whole contest.