Dricus Du Plessis Takes Swipe at Khamzat Chimaev: “That’s Boring as Hell”
Dricus Du Plessis has responded to a question about persuading parents to allow MMA training by using his UFC title loss to Khamzat Chimaev as the punchline. The former middleweight champion meets former welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman this weekend in Oklahoma City.
Dricus Du Plessis Turns Chimaev Loss Into a Brutal Joke Ahead of UFC Return
Du Plessis was asked how an aspiring fighter could convince their parents to let them train mixed martial arts. His answer referenced his August 2025 defeat to Chimaev, which ended his first UFC run without a loss and cost him the 185-pound championship.
“Show them me vs Chimaev and they will let you fight immediately, that’s boring as hell,” Du Plessis said. “Let them watch that, if they don’t fall asleep then he’s not allowed.”
The joke lands because Chimaev controlled much of their five-round title fight through wrestling and positional pressure. It was Du Plessis’ first UFC defeat after nine wins in the promotion, bringing an end to the run that included title victories over Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya.
Du Plessis had built his championship rise on awkward but high-output offense, pressure and late-fight surges. Against Chimaev, he did not find enough room to establish that approach, leaving the South African with a clear need to reset at the top of the division.
That reset begins on Saturday, July 18, when Du Plessis headlines UFC Fight Night 281 against Usman at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. It is a middleweight contest between two former UFC champions, with Usman moving up from 170 pounds for the matchup.
Du Plessis enters with a 23-3 professional record, while Usman is 21-4. Both men are listed at 185 pounds with a 76-inch reach, removing one of the usual physical gaps associated with a fighter changing divisions. Usman returned from a near two-year absence in June 2025 and beat Joaquin Buckley by five-round unanimous decision. Before that, he lost a three-round majority decision to Chimaev at UFC 294 in October 2023, making Chimaev an unusual shared opponent for the main-event pair.
A win would put Du Plessis back among the leading middleweight contenders after losing the belt which is now held by Sean Strickland following his victory over ‘Borz’ Chimaev. Usman, meanwhile, has the chance to enter a second title picture immediately after a long reign as UFC welterweight champion.
The matchup gives Du Plessis an opportunity to show that the Chimaev fight was a setback rather than a turning point. His comment may have been light, but the stakes against Usman are not, a five-round win would be a strong step toward another middleweight title shot. He added “I don’t think JUST a victory will be enough. I think my resume definitely but not JUST a victory. A performance that eliminates any doubt that I’m the best in the world gets me a title shot.”
