Dricus du Plessis’s path back to the UFC middleweight throne looks daunting after his one-sided defeat to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 this past August. While many anticipated a competitive matchup, Chimaev controlled every aspect of the fight, repeatedly taking du Plessis down and dominating on the ground for the full five rounds.
Joe Rogan, a long-time UFC commentator and podcaster, weighed in on the outcome and the reality of facing a wrestler of Chimaev’s caliber. He says du Plessis will have to wait a long time—or hope for a different opponent—if he wants another title run.
Chimaev’s Wrestling Leaves Little Room for Comeback
“It’s nuts because a lot of people thought it was boring because it just went to a decision, but you’ve just got to appreciate that level of dominance against a world champion,” Rogan said on the Joe Rogan Experience. “It’s kind of crazy. Before the fight, Dricus was being looked at as one of the greatest middleweights of all time. Look at what he did to all these guys. He knocks out Robert Whittaker, he beats [Israel] Adesanya, he f*cking beats Sean Strickland twice, like, ‘Oh my God, he might be one of the greatest of all time.’
“And then after that fight, you’re like, I don’t think he’s ever going to beat that guy. I don’t think there’s enough time in the world to bridge that gap. It’s just nuts.”
Rogan highlighted the technical and physical advantage Chimaev displayed, especially his wrestling, which allowed him to control du Plessis throughout the fight. Chimaev’s ability to anticipate and counter multiple moves in succession left the South African without answers.
Mastery in the Octagon
“The gap Rogan refers to is the wrestling advantage Chimaev has that resulted in him taking du Plessis down 12 times and controlling him on the ground for over 20 minutes,” Rogan explained. “It’s also having such a technical game that as you’re implementing the first attack, you’ve already got three attacks on standby and then as he counters you, you’ve anticipated the counter, you have a counter to his counter and then a counter to his readjusting after your counter, and you’re just hitting him over and over, he just can’t keep the rhythm.”
Even in the modern era of MMA, Rogan emphasizes that wrestling remains one of the most reliable bases for success in the sport.
“If you want to be a specialist, being a specialist at wrestling is by far—well, when you see what Khamzat did to Dricus,” Rogan said. “Perfect example. Against a world champion MMA fighter that’s been dominating everybody and Khamzat just ramped it up, kept it up.” via MMAFighting
Du Plessis has promised a future return to glory, but according to Rogan, overcoming Chimaev will require more than just ambition—it would demand a strategy that neutralizes one of the sport’s most technically proficient wrestlers.
