{"id":103631,"date":"2025-08-28T17:35:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T17:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/103631\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T17:35:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T17:35:07","slug":"dricus-du-plessis-given-harsh-reality-check-on-ufc-rematch-with-khamzat-chimaev","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/103631\/","title":{"rendered":"Dricus du Plessis given harsh reality check on UFC rematch with Khamzat Chimaev"},"content":{"rendered":"

UFC 319 did not go according to plan for former UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis, who lost a unanimous decision to undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev <\/a>earlier this month in the main event during the promotion’s return trip to Chicago, its first since June 2019.<\/p>\n

Even though it’s du Plessis’ lone UFC defeat, former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion and current UFC color analyst, Dominick Cruz, said on the “Anik and Florian Podcast” <\/a>that Chimaev may have exploited du Plessis in ways he might never recover from.<\/p>\n

“You need to be able to be off balance to get to a double leg,” Cruz shared. “You need to be able to get off balance to create space and get to a front headlock, and then you have to create some sort of offense from the bottom. Some sort of attack, so that the person on top of you stops blanketing you, and he couldn’t really create that.”<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Khamzat Chimaev welcomed to new UFC division for massive champ vs. champ superfight<\/a><\/p>\n

\"DDP<\/p>\n

Aug 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, UNITED STATES; Dricus Du Plessis Murphy (red gloves) fights Khamzat Chimaev (blue gloves) during UFC 319 at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images \/ Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Cruz didn’t offer many solutions for du Plessis, but did suggest he takes a substantial layoff to fix any gaping holes so similar mistakes don’t arise while he attempts to remain in title contention.<\/a><\/p>\n

“He says six months, I’ll fill some gaps, but when I look at that, that’s not six months,” Cruz said. “He didn’t separate one time \u2013 like, nothing. His legs weren’t getting involved from his back. He’s just never been put on his back that long, I don’t think, and you have to have an offense from the bottom in order to get up. If your job when you get taken down is just to get up and escape, that’s kind of defensive in a way.”<\/p>\n

Du Plessis had previously kept his distance and used unorthodox striking to work his way up through the middleweight division. But, in the Chimaev fight, the South African star had little to offer offensively as he kept getting taken down, held, and nearly submitted, needing to work off his back for much of the 25-minute contest.<\/p>\n

\"Chimaev<\/p>\n

Aug 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, UNITED STATES; Dricus Du Plessis Murphy (red gloves) fights Khamzat Chimaev (blue gloves) during UFC 319 at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images \/ Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Cruz isn’t discounting du Plessis’ greatness either, he is arguing Chimaev’s pedigree is on a different level the division arguably hasn’t seen since Anderson Silva’s dominant run, or maybe ever.<\/p>\n

“I think DDP beats almost everybody else in the division,” Cruz said. “Just that particular matchup is just really exposing stuff, and that’s the thing about being champion.”<\/p>\n

Du Plessis won the title from Sean Strickland last January and earned two successful defenses with a submission stoppage against Israel Adesanya<\/a> last August before taking a 2-0 series lead in the Strickland rivalry at UFC 312 in February.<\/p>\n

Whether du Plessis returns to championship form, though, remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

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