Khamzat Chimaev made history at UFC 319 when he defeated Dricus du Plessis to win the middleweight title. His relentless wrestling and pressure helped him dominate all five rounds in Chicago on August 16, 2025. Judges scored the bout 50-44, giving him a clear unanimous decision win.
While his victory was one of the most dominant in recent UFC title fights, not everyone was fully impressed with the way he controlled the action.
#ANDNEW!!
[ #UFC319 | B2YB: @TerminalListPV ] pic.twitter.com/PTsLAdFZvh
— UFC (@ufc) August 17, 2025
McCarthy Shares His View on Chimaev’s Crucifix
Former UFC referee John McCarthy gave his view on Khamzat Chimaev’s grappling after his recent fight against Dricus du Plessis. Speaking on his podcast, McCarthy explained that Chimaev’s approach in the crucifix position is not as effective as it could be. McCarthy said that Chimaev is focusing too much on small punches rather than using more damaging strikes.
John McCarthy explained:
“The one thing, when Chimaev goes back, I’m going to sit here and tell you right. Now look, all those little punches and everything, stop. Set yourself up for elbows and utilize elbows. That’s what you need to do in that crucifix position. You’re never going to get a referee like Mark Goddard who is, absolutely intelligent as far as, ‘oh, hey, those aren’t doing damage. You can do that all day long.’ That was Roy Nelson’s big thing. He would sit there and he’d start counting. And I tell him, you could count to 3,000. I don’t give a sh*t okay, it’s are you hurting him? Okay, that’s what it’s got to be.”
John McCarthy stressed that the crucifix position can be one of the most dominant in mixed martial arts, but it only works if the fighter lands real damage. According to McCarthy, Chimaev’s reliance on short punches leaves openings for referees to step in and prevent a stoppage because those strikes are not always effective.
McCarthy added:
“Chimaev needs to switch up some of the things he’s doing because elbows are exactly what you want to do in that position. There was many times that he couldn’t utilize the elbow based upon the way [du Plessis] was moving his head and coming up towards his armpit. But anytime that head comes away from the armpit and goes towards the hip, man, it’s time to start lighting him up.”
Khamzat Chimaev has been known for his wrestling since joining the UFC in 2020. He made a huge impact early with quick wins over John Phillips, Rhys McKee, and Gerald Meerschaert, showing how dominant his grappling can be. Over time, his ground style has remained aggressive, but John McCarthy’s analysis shows that even top fighters must keep making changes if they want to win against the very best opponents.
The crucifix position, where one arm is trapped by the fighter’s legs and the other by their arms, has been used effectively in the past by legends like Khabib Nurmagomedov and even by heavyweights such as Roy Nelson. McCarthy compared Chimaev’s use of the position to Nelson, but highlighted that without damaging elbows, referees may not see enough impact to allow the fight to end.
John McCarthy’s long history as a referee in the UFC gives weight to his words. Known as “Big” John McCarthy, he has officiated many of the biggest fights in MMA history and helped write parts of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.
If Chimaev takes John McCarthy’s advice, adding more elbow strikes from the crucifix could make him far more dangerous and remove any doubt for referees who are watching closely. It could also help him as he looks for a possible middleweight title shot in the future.
