Dricus Du Plessis didn’t have much fun on Saturday night. |
Getty/UFC
Dricus Du
Plessis simply had no answers for Khamzat
Chimaev’s wrestling.
The South African’s middleweight championship reign ended in
lopsided fashion at
UFC 319, as Du Plessis was grounded repeatedly in a unanimous
decision defeat at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday night.
Du Plessis did his best to explain Chimaev’s dominance in a
post-fight interview.
“The man has incredible control on the top. He was just like a
blanket,” Du Plessis said. It wasn’t a matter of strength, it
wasn’t that physical, it was just 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.”
Du Plessis Vows to Regain UFC Title
Du Plessis did have a brief moment of life in the final frame, when
he denied a takedown and threatened with a rear-naked choke. That
hope was only fleeting, however, as Chimaev escaped the maneuver
and sealed his victory. Ultimately, Du Plessis could do little more
than tip his cap to his opponent.
“But big ups to Khamzat, he deserves this, 100 percent,” Du Plessis
said. “He beat me fair and square tonight, he was the better man
tonight, and I’ll be back. I’m coming to get my belt back. For now,
it’s his and he deserves it.”
Prior to UFC 319, Du Plessis had been victorious in 11 consecutive
professional outings, a run that included victories over the likes
of Sean
Strickland (twice), Israel
Adesanya and Robert
Whittaker. His last defeat occurred on Oct. 6, 2018, when he
suffered a third-round KO to Roberto
Soldic at KSW 45.