Dricus du Plessis suffered one of the most lopsided decision losses in UFC title fight history last August in his matchup with Khamzat Chimaev. Now, the former UFC middleweight champion is doing everything in his power to correct course.
Although the fight front has been quiet for du Plessis since UFC 319, he has been working to improve. While most fighters may not want to suffer a dominant loss again, that is not the case for "DDP." Speaking on Tuesday’s edition of "The Ariel Helwani show," The South African contender shared that he has been watching his loss against Chimaev at least twice a week since September.
"It was (difficult) at first, because it’s the most boring fight in the world to watch." du Plessis told Uncrowned. "So it’s hard to get over it, but yeah, I mean, it’s the right thing to do. And obviously I didn’t like seeing myself lose (I hated it), but that’s how I learn. That was just a learning experience. In fact, I watch the fight a lot and I’m making sure those same mistakes don’t happen again.
"That’s how I study fights. I’d say it took me about three weeks after the fight before I saw her again. And then since then I’ve watched it quite frequently to make sure it’s part of my training – watching my fights and knowing what I did wrong and seeing the mistakes."
Du Plessis’ persistence is admirable, considering how his fight against Chimaev played out. It was a classic Chimaev fighting showcase, with the now champion barely holding any resistance: du Plessis was knocked down 12 times in 25 minutes and outmatched by a whopping 529 strikes to 45, according to UFC Stats.
But du Plessis never reached a breaking point, despite the relentless pressure he received. He kept going until the end of the fight and even gained a strong position in the final seconds. While it wasn’t enough to secure what could have been an all-time comeback, du Plessis said Chimaev’s abilities never exceeded the expectations he had at the start.
"It wasn’t any harder than I expected it to be." du Plessis said. "I could see at the end of that fight, when we got to the final round, I was honestly thinking I was (still going to win) this fight until I heard that 10-second clapper and I knew it was over. But when I came out for the last round, I was 100% sure I was going to stop this guy or knock him out. And when I got that takedown, I went up, I choked, I started landing, I was starting to…too little, too late. I could feel that I didn’t want to be there anymore. I could feel it, 100%. Just because of how he looks, just because of how he feels. I could feel when I got on top of him, I could feel him saying, ‘Oh, shit.’ But he was basically on top the entire fight.
"I know I can make that man quit. There is no man in life who can bend my will. There is not a single man alive who can destroy me mentally. There is no way."
Like Du Plessis, Chimaev has also remained sidelined since their August showdown. Many expect an eventual pairing between Chimaev and top contender Nassourdine Imavov or Sean Strickland in the near future. Until then, du Plessis will sit back and assess the landscape with the rest of the division.
But the loss has only motivated "DDP" and fueled a new fire to become two-time champion. Du Plessis still believes Chimaev is not all he seems, and ideally he will have the opportunity to prove it one day, whether at 185 or 205 pounds.
"I would love to fight him for the title." du Plessis said. "Yes, I also want to recover my victory. Now, if he moves up to light heavyweight, I’ll get my belt back and (then) run out and get him.
"I just know that I am a more physical person than him. He was just better (at) 10% of this game than me."
While light heavyweight rumors surrounding Chimaev have been squashed in recent weeks, du Plessis is not entirely sold on the prospect of the champion, a former welterweight, finding success in the sport’s second-heaviest division.
"People say it’s so big. He’s not a big guy," du Plessis said. "When I walked in there, I was surprised at how small it was, actually. He’s lanky and tall, but he’s not a thick guy. No, I would say at middleweight, he’s an average middleweight in terms of strength. His technique on the ground is very good, his pressure on the ground is very good and that makes him tough, that makes it difficult to deal with him on the ground."
Du Plessis presumably won’t be far away from a shot at redemption once he returns. His two title defenses of his middleweight reign came against former champions Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland, capping his impressive nine-fight UFC winning streak before Chimaev’s loss.
After dealing with a minor injury, du Plessis aims to return around April.