Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis admits he hit a mental lull during his title loss to Khamzat Chimaev.
Khamzat Chimaev put on one of the most dominant performances in the Octagon of 2025 against reigning UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319.
Chimaev ended Du Plessis’ historic title reign by a lopsided unanimous decision at UFC 319 to win the UFC middleweight title. His elite grappling prowess, combined with relentless pace and pressure on the ground, made for one of the most flawless showings by a UFC fighter in 2025.
Du Plessis’ longtime coach, Morne Visser, believes Chimaev would get ‘f—– up’ in a potential title rematch. For one of the few times since UFC 319, the former champion Du Plessis has admitted he wasn’t fully invested mentally in fighting Chimaev at UFC 319.
Dricus du Plessis admits he was ‘bored’ dealing with Khamzat Chimaev’s wrestling in title loss
In a recent interview with Fight Forecast, Du Plessis reflected on what went wrong against Chimaev at UFC 319.
“He made sure he stayed out of danger and he fought that fight and he almost neutralized me in making it a fight,” Du Plessis said of Chimaev.
“Because if we made it a fight it would have been a different story. But he knew that, so he was smart in that. I mean, frustrating, absolutely, but, like I said, the speed bumps, that’s what makes me better. Now I know the little piece of this puzzle where I need to work on. And believe me, in my next performance, you will see me do that, exactly just that. Be a master at that.
“Like I said on the night, big ups to him,” Du Plessis continued. “He came out there and he did what he needed to do. Not the kind of fight that I would have wanted with all the hype. It wasn’t a very fun fight to watch for anyone. I got bored in the fight and I was in there, to be honest [laughs]. I mean, he did what he had to do to win that belt. If that’s the way that you are going to go, well, good for you. It’s different strokes.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Du Plessis is targeting a return to the Octagon later this year, potentially against top contenders Nassourdine Imavov or Brendan Allen.