Khamzat Chimaev secured a dominant victory against Dricus du Plessis by controlling him on the ground for all five rounds during the <a href="https://www.buzzineintl.com/category/mma/ufc/”>UFC 319 middleweight title bout. Despite du Plessis’ unorthodox fighting style and toughness, former UFC champion Kamaru Usman has publicly expressed concern over significant technical deficiencies that compromised du Plessis’ overall performance in the fight.
Chimaev’s wrestling superiority, particularly his ability to maintain control from the top position, left du Plessis struggling to escape or counter effectively, which ultimately determined the fight’s outcome.
Technical Weaknesses Highlighted During Pound 4 Pound Podcast Discussion
On a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo, and Reinier de Ridder discussed Chimaev’s wrestling dominance against du Plessis. Reinier de Ridder pointed out du Plessis’ struggle to escape the referee’s position, a critical stance where the bottom fighter is on all fours and the top fighter controls their arms to prevent them from standing up.
Usman agreed with this assessment and emphasized how, despite du Plessis’ raw talent and toughness, his inability to handle this position exposed a major gap in his technical skills, which was costly in a championship fight setting.
“DDP, there is that running joke where they say he is the best s**t fighter. He is really good, very, very talented. Clearly, he hits hard, and he is just a guy that won’t quit, won’t go away, but this fight… he didn’t have the opportunity to be tough. It was a technical error, technical skills that he just didn’t have to be able to escape those positions and potentially make it a dog fight. He just didn’t have it.”
—Kamaru Usman, Former UFC Welterweight Champion
Usman further expressed that these technical shortcomings were critical flaws for anyone aspiring to be a top-tier champion.
“Listen. I’m not here just kind of s**t on DDP, he is very, very tough. He is very, very talented. But, those were technical errors to where you can’t have technical holes like that to be the world champion.”
—Kamaru Usman, Former UFC Welterweight Champion
Usman’s Perspective on Chimaev’s Approach and du Plessis’ Missed Opportunities
During the discussion, Usman critiqued Chimaev’s strategy, noting that although the wrestler controlled du Plessis effectively, he did not apply enough pressure to finish the fight decisively. Reinier de Ridder’s remarks about du Plessis struggling in the referee’s position were underlined by Usman’s observation that Chimaev appeared content maintaining control rather than aggressively seeking a submission or a more dominant position.
Usman explained how he would have approached the fight differently by constantly pressuring his opponent, denying them any comfort or escape routes from vulnerable positions such as the referee’s stance.
“The one thing with Khamzat Chimaev is, Khamzat really wasn’t even putting forward pressure on him… I think it is such a big key… that separates me is I’m going to put that pressure to where you’re not even going to want to get to the referee’s position anymore. Either you are going to give me that, or eventually give me your back and potentially give me the choke.”
—Kamaru Usman, Former UFC Welterweight Champion
Implications of Highlighted Technical Deficiencies on du Plessis’ Career
Dricus du Plessis’ technical shortcomings, especially related to grappling defense and escaping from control positions, are significant obstacles that must be addressed if he hopes to contend at the highest level of MMA. While his power and resilience make him a dangerous opponent, the lack of refined technique prevents him from capitalizing on his toughness in elite matchups.
Former champions like Kamaru Usman use these observations to underscore the fine line between being merely talented and becoming a world champion. The ability to execute or evade critical positions with technical precision often dictates title fight outcomes.
For du Plessis, closing these gaps will be vital for future success, as top fighters like Khamzat Chimaev continue to exploit such vulnerabilities at events like UFC 319. How du Plessis and his team respond to these critiques will likely determine the trajectory of his career in the crowded middleweight division.