Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis believes Khamzat Chimaev may need to rethink his approach following the first loss of his professional career against Sean Strickland at UFC 328.
Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) surrendered the UFC middleweight title to Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) in the main event of UFC 328 after dropping a closely contested five-round split decision. “Borz” started the fight aggressively and controlled much of the opening round with his wrestling and grappling pressure, but his pace slowed significantly as the bout progressed.
The remaining rounds were fought primarily on the feet, where Strickland’s pressure, volume, and cardio helped him edge out the scorecards and hand Chimaev his first professional defeat.
Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC), who lost the middleweight championship to Chimaev at UFC 319 last summer, suggested the loss could serve as a pivotal moment in Chimaev’s evolution as a fighter.
Speaking to Fight Forecast this week, “Stillknocks” said the result may have damaged some of the aura Chimaev had built during his dominant rise through the UFC ranks.
“No, this wasn't,” Du Plessis said when asked if the fight was a positive outcome for Chimaev’s image. “I think a lot of aura was lost in that. But, I mean, Khamzat's still an incredible, incredible fighter.”
Despite the setback, Du Plessis emphasized that Chimaev remains one of the most dangerous competitors in the division because of his elite wrestling-heavy style.
“People don't necessarily enjoy that fighting style, but he's so dominant,” Du Plessis said. “He has been.”
However, the South African believes UFC 328 exposed limitations in Chimaev’s current game and could force the former champion to adapt moving forward.
“And this fight is going to go one of two ways for him,” Du Plessis continued. “Is this going to break him or is this going to motivate him to say, 'Listen, I can't just rely on my wrestling. I need to fight MMA because that is at the end of the day where the sport is heading.'”
Du Plessis also pointed to the growing evolution of mixed martial arts as a whole, arguing that fighters across the sport are becoming increasingly capable of neutralizing dominant wrestlers over extended fights.
“The wrestling guys have been so dominant that everybody's starting to catch up,” he said.
It remains unclear what comes next for Chimaev following the loss, though the defeat reshuffled the middleweight title picture after his brief championship reign.
