Dricus du Plessis Breaks Down Islam vs ‘JDM’ — Says It Mirrors His Clash with Khamzat Chimaev
Former UFC middleweight kingpin Dricus du Plessis has compared his fight against Khamzat Chimaev to this past weekend’s UFC 322 headliner between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev.
Du Plessis was dethroned by Chimaev earlier this year at UFC 319. The five-round bout saw complete dominance from Chimaev’s end as he took du Plessis down 12 times, landed a total of 529 strikes, and had a control time of 21 minutes and 40 seconds. On the other hand, at UFC 322, Makhachev similarly dethroned ‘JDM’ with his superior wrestling. The Dagestani had more than 19 minutes of ground time.
Assessing Makhachev and Chimaev’s performances, and comparing Makhachev vs ‘JDM’ to his title loss against ‘Borz,’ the South African fighter said:
“It looked a lot like my fight against Chimaev. These guys have a style that needs to be figured out… These wrestlers, especially the Russian style wrestlers, have something above the rest. When it comes to wrestling and being able to control the guy on the floor, definitely not the entertainment that people necessarily wanna see. But if that’s how they wanna win and that’s how they win, then that’s how they do it. And they have proven very successful with that.”
Check out Dricus du Plessis’s comments below:
Dricus du Plessis Determined to Bounce Back Strong After Title Setback
In a recent commercial featuring the UFC and Crypto.com, Dricus du Plessis discussed bravery and how it’s not necessarily found in crowds or belts. In the video, ‘Stillknocks’ discussed the importance of small moments and other people’s belief in him. He also posted behind-the-scenes videos following UFC 319 title loss, saying that while the defeat was difficult to accept, it does not define him. He gave a purely inspirational remark before the video ended:
“I am Dricus Du Plessis, born brave, and I will be back.”
Check out Dricus du Plessis’s clip below:
Du Plessis defended his belt two times before Chimaev ended his reign. The UFC has not announced his next bout to date. On the other hand, ‘Borz’ will be out of action until Ramadan 2026 because of a minor foot surgery.
