Chimaev beats Dricus for UFC middleweight title
The Russian dominated Dricus du Plessis, pinning him to the ground for the bulk of the five rounds.
South Africa’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis had no answers for undefeated Russian Khamzat Chimaev’s wrestling as he succumbed to a unanimous decision defeat at UFC 319 in Chicago on Sunday.
The Russian found the going very easy as he took the South African down to the canvass at will and dominated for most of the 25 minutes, The Citizen reports.
Du Plessis failed to use his striking as Chimaev tired him out like an anaconda hunting its prey.
“The man has incredible control, he is like a blanket on you. He beat me fair and square, and congratulations to him,” Du Plessis said in his octagon interview after the fight.
This was Du Plessis third defence attempt after earlier winning fights against Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya.
Chimaev dominated on the scorecard after keeping Du Plessis pinned to the ground for most of the five five-minute rounds. The South African had no answer to counter the Russian.
Whether the outgoing champion gets an immediate rematch will remain to be seen.
- This article first appeared on The Citizen.
