DU PLESSIS’ COACH ADMITS REMATCH WITH CHIMAEV IS NOT ON THE CARDS

By: Gyang Dakwo

Dricus du Plessis’ coach, Morne Visser, has spoken out after the South African fighter lost his UFC Middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago.

Chimaev completely dominated the contest on Saturday night as he landed an astonishing 529 strikes on his way to a unanimous decision victory. The result handed Du Plessis his first defeat as Middleweight champion, and it also marked the beginning of Chimaev’s reign at the top.

It is common for champions who lose close battles to be granted another chance at the belt, but Du Plessis is not likely to get that privilege. His coach made it clear that the team is not ready for a rematch just yet.

“It is hard to take a big loss like this on the jaw, but lessons were learned,” Visser said while reflecting on the fight. “I think we could have done a lot better, but I also think the referee could have done better. When you lose, you want to blame someone else, but I do feel the referee should have kept the fight a lot more active.”

Visser explained that his fighter will not step back into the cage against Chimaev any time soon. “There is no way I will take a rematch with us being a little bit behind in our Russian style of wrestling,” he told the media. “That is what it is. He just knows how to control you on the floor and make sure the referee does not stand it up. That is all he did. Nothing else. We had more submission attempts, and in the stand up, we dominated him.”

With Du Plessis ruled out of an immediate return, attention has now turned to who Chimaev will defend his Middleweight crown against next.