Khamzat Chimaev’s team did not hold back after their fighter dethroned Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title.
His UFC 319 performance was nothing short of dominant, as Chimaev never let go of the champion, keeping him grounded with crucifixes and expert takedowns.
The Chechen did not believe Dricus was that strong following their bout, and it was clear from the over 20 minutes of control time that this was the case.
Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images
His Du Plessis win is more likely a blueprint for his next defences, using his ability to expertly grapple to disarm opponents’ strengths.
Khamzat Chimaev’s coach brutally takes aim at Dricus Du Plessis’ wrestling preparations for UFC 319
While he has been adamant in the build-up, he would like to fight again at UFC Abu Dhabi in October, but he may have to take a break after a restless performance on the mat, even with the 319 backup fighter calling out Khamzat.
The ranked middleweight contenders know they have to beat his wrestling if they want to achieve his victory, but it is not easy to prepare for, as shown by the struggles ‘Stillknocks’ had in the fight.
Even the ‘Borz’ coach, Alan Nascimento, was surprised at the approach by the former champion when asked by Daniel Cormier.
When Nascimento spoke to the MMA legend, he said: “I’m going to be honest with you. People can think about preparing for wrestling.
“But Khamzat has a different type of approach and pressure. You only discover it when it’s too late. It’s already there, and you can do nothing about it.”
His pressure has been seen before when he fought Robert Whittaker last year, but in that contest, he was able to apply the face crank finish, which injured his jaw.
The coach also responded to the ‘one-dimensional’ comments from the team of Du Plessis and provided a very brutal verdict on his wrestling trainer.
He said: “His coach was saying that Du Plessis wants to fight on the ground. He (will) beat Khamzat on the ground. (Now) house quiet.
“I believe that now whoever was preparing on the ground, you’re going to get fired.”
UFC legend Daniel Cormier disappointed by Dricus Du Plessis after UFC 319 loss to Khamzat Chimaev
Cormier himself was not as enamoured by the former champion’s performance in the fight, especially when compared to his wins over Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya.
The former light heavyweight champion was ‘surprised’ by how easily the 31-year-old was taken to the mat, but felt he was still in a ‘championship mindset’ when it went to the later rounds.
He further explained: “It was very impressive by Chimaev. If I’m being honest, though, it was a little disappointing on the side of Du Plessis because he knew the challenge.
“I don’t know if they prepared the right way for what challenge was in front of them. When you’re fighting Chimaev, you’ve got to be able to get up if taken down, and you’ve got to make the takedowns hard.
“He wasn’t able to do either of those things tonight, and now he’s the former champ.”
While he was able to get his work off in the fifth round, it was too late by then to do anything else, and ultimately, it seemed the coaches needed a different approach altogether to achieve more success.