Dricus du Plessis has revealed how a preparations error led to his one-sided loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. The South African was dominated by Chimaev over five rounds last August, with the defending champion seemingly having no answer for the challenger's wrestling.
What happened at UFC 319?
Dricus du Plessis was planning to counter Khamzat Chimaev's aggression by scrambling, but the Russian didn't play into what du Plessis and his team had been preparing for. "It's a style thing," du Plessis explained. "The way he moved, it's something that I haven't seen, haven't felt, and it wasn't a strength problem at all." Chimaev's approach was a far cry from the fast-paced and aggressive grappling threats du Plessis had seen from him in the past.
Why it matters for Dricus du Plessis
Du Plessis has been working on his scrambling ability, but Chimaev's unorthodox approach caught him off guard. "That's what I was preparing for because if you look at all of his other fights, that exciting, let's go, going for a choke, he didn't go for one submission," du Plessis said. "That was what we prepared for and he was just like, 'Cool, let's just lie here and steal people's money.'"
What comes next?
Du Plessis is confident that he could beat Khamzat Chimaev if they met inside the Octagon for a second time. He's hoping that Chimaev approaches their potential rematch thinking that he can expose du Plessis' wrestling, just so he can prove doubters wrong. "I know that people will still have questions about my grappling if I went out and fought another opponent that prefers to keep the fight standing," du Plessis said.
Du Plessis is set to face Kamaru Usman this Saturday, and he's hoping that Usman will approach the fight thinking that he can expose du Plessis' wrestling. "I'm hoping that Kamaru Usman approaches our fight thinking that he can expose my wrestling like Khamzat Chimaev did, just so he can prove doubters wrong," du Plessis said.
Du Plessis has already beaten striking specialists like Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland, and he's confident that he can take down Usman as well. "I know that people will still have questions about my grappling if I went out and fought another opponent that prefers to keep the fight standing," du Plessis said.
The event takes place this Saturday, and du Plessis is confident that he'll come out on top. "I'm hoping that Kamaru Usman approaches our fight thinking that he can expose my wrestling like Khamzat Chimaev did, just so he can prove doubters wrong," du Plessis said.
Why Dricus du Plessis wanted to fight Kamaru Usman
Du Plessis wanted to fight Usman because of how he lost at UFC 319. He knows that people will still have questions about his grappling if he went out and fought another opponent that prefers to keep the fight standing. Therefore, he's hoping that Usman will approach the fight thinking that he can expose du Plessis' wrestling.
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