Dricus Du Plessis admits he prepared for the wrong Khamzat Chimaev

Dricus du Plessis has reflected on his lone UFC loss, acknowledging that his preparation for Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August last year left him unprepared for the actual fight. The former middleweight champion expected Chimaev to bring relentless, scramble-heavy grappling based on his previous fights, but "Borz" instead adopted a methodical, conservative approach that kept du Plessis pinned and static. Du Plessis surrendered nearly 22 minutes of ground control time, with Chimaev repeatedly placing him in crucifix position and landing short strikes from top. Speaking to Submission Radio, du Plessis explained the disconnect: "It's a style thing. The way he moved, it's something that I haven't seen, haven't felt, and it wasn't a strength problem at all. It was just a way that he could get it to a place where we were static. There was no scramble." His team had drilled for the fast-paced, submission-hungry Chimaev of old—"going for a choke," as du Plessis put it—but the fighter switched tactics entirely, prompting a wry critique: "he was just like, 'Cool, let's just lie here and steal people's money.'" The South African is now targeting a return to title contention, facing former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC Oklahoma City on July 18.