UFC 319 Fight ‘Smutted With Boringness,’ Says Du Plessis’ Coach Morne Visser

• Khamzat Chimaev delivered a performance that had fans talking, raising questions about his approach inside the octagon
• Dricus Du Plessis’ head coach publicly shared his thoughts on the fight, criticising aspects of the bout and the tactics used
• The coach also addressed future fights for Du Plessis, discussing training priorities and the possibilities of a rematch with Chimaev

Morne Visser, Du Plessis’ head coach, has come out guns blazing, lambasting Khamzat Chimaev days after UFC 319, which ended in favour of the Russian-born fighter who dominated the South African in Saturday’s fight in Chicago.

Du Plessis was the defending champion going into the fight, marking his second title defence this year after defeating Sean Strickland in February to retain the belt.

The 31-year-old was dominated over five rounds and lost by unanimous decision, relinquishing his championship title and ending his unbeaten run.

Du Plessis lost his championship after five largely one-sided rounds, with the judges unanimously awarding the win to Chimaev. Visser criticised Chimaev’s performance, calling it boring.

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“There was a stat afterwards of Khamzat landing like 570 shots, and only 37 of them were significant. He just did enough, he obviously controlled positions very well and just did enough to keep the ref from standing the fight up,” Visser told Submission Radio.

Watch the video below:

“When the action slows down like that, the fight should be stopped,. It was a very slow-paced fight, and yes, we contributed to that, but we just needed a little extra time at the end. The bout suffered from being too boring, and the crowd wasn’t impressed, just three minutes in, they were already booing Khamzat for keeping Dricus on the ground,” the head coach added.

What advice did the coach give Dricus during rounds

Visser also elaborated on the advice he gave Dricus during the tough rounds. After the first round, he immediately asked Dricus if he was okay, noting that fighting someone who wrestles so hard can quickly tire a fighter’s arms.

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Dricus was fine, and they even laughed about it. Visser explained that he told Dricus the performance he was seeing was Chimaev’s very best and that he didn’t expect him to maintain that level for all five rounds.

After the third round, Visser asked Dricus whether he wanted to try taking Chimaev down, reflecting that there was a lot to learn and much to take back from the fight.

Visser speaks on the rematch against Chimaev

Visser also clarified that there will be no immediate fight or rematch with Chimaev. He candidly said that, even though they want to avenge the defeat, they will first regroup and focus on aggressive training before considering a rematch.

He admitted that when asked about a rematch, he was firm in saying no. While he acknowledged wanting to face Chimaev again soon, he explained that they are still slightly behind in Russian-style wrestling, and Chimaev simply has the ability to dominate on the ground.

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Visser ruled out taking any other fights for now, emphasising that the focus is solely on addressing Dricus’ weaknesses exposed by Chimaev, particularly his lack of wrestling skills. Once those are corrected, the aim is to return, fight Chimaev, and reclaim the belt.

Chimaev was rated as the favourite to win the bout by the bookies and so many pundits ahead of the fight, and he didn't disappoint when facing the defending champion in the United States of America.

See the tweet below:

Dricus speaks out after defeat

Briefly News previously reported South African UFC Middleweight fighter Dricus du Plessis has reacted to his bruising defeat at the hands of the UAE’s Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago.

“Stillknocks,” who came into this fight as the underdog, put on a brave face despite the one-sided fight and vowed to bounce back.

Source: Briefly News