South African UFC fighter Dricus du Plessis says he will return to the Octagon stronger than ever after his middleweight belt loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319, saying his ‘pursuit of greatness will be unimaginable for the average minded.’
‘Stillknocks’ posted his missive on Instagram on Monday, saying he’d spent the week since his defeat recovering with friends and family. And while he repeated his acceptance of the loss, which was comprehensive, he issue a warning to his critics.
Du Plessis, South Africa’s first UFC champion, wrote in his first post since the Chicago bout: “I embrace this loss with open arms, because believe me as much as I hate losing, it’s as much part of life as part of our game- and I believe it’s necessary in my pursuit of greatness. ‘Without the bitter, the sweet wouldn’t be as sweet.’
“Make no mistake I’m not a good loser, because a good loser becomes a frequent one. I am however- an avid learner of the arts and of life itself.
“This loss has exploded a desire in me that will have the consequence of an onslaught bigger than the original domination – my return to glory and pursuit of greatness will be unimaginable for the average minded.
“I have absolutely no excuses for my performance, I was beaten by a better fighter on the night, congratulations to my opponent and thank you for the honour of sharing the octagon with you.
“AND SINCERELY thank you to all those who enjoyed to see me fall, because I will return the favour, like I always have.”
Du Plessis was first crowned middleweight UFC champion in January 2024 when he beat Sean Strickland, and then defended his belt against Israel Adesanya in August, and again against Strickland in February of this year.
His third title defence when badly awry against Chimaev though, with the Chechen fighter getting the better of Du Plessis from the get-go and dominating all five rounds on the ground. While Du Plessis was able to resist submission, Chimaev won by unanimous decision.
Afterwards, Du Plessis voiced praise for his opponent: “The man has incredible control on top. It wasn’t a matter of strength, it wasn’t physical, it was almost like he knew what your next move was.
“I could almost taste that victory [with the choke in round 5], but he beat me fair and square. He was the better man tonight. I’ll be coming to get my belt back, but for now, it’s his. He deserves it.”