UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has been on a dominant run, and his head coach Morne Visser doesn`t believe Khamzat Chimaev will be the one to halt his momentum.
Speaking on Submission Radio, Visser addressed the recent injury rumors surrounding du Plessis, which were partly fueled by Chimaev. Online speculation questioned why a title defense against the unbeaten Chimaev hadn`t been announced for UFC 317 on June 28, but the du Plessis team maintains the booking was never official.
Should the highly anticipated clash eventually materialize, Visser envisions du Plessis defending his title once more in impressive fashion, asserting he can beat Chimaev even in the wrestling domain.
“Khamzat is a wrestler,” Visser stated. “We want to fight him on the floor. That`s the only way to prove you`re a real champion. It`s MMA, not just one discipline – it`s boxing, wrestling, grappling – so you have to fight. While you should fight where you`re strong, we are good everywhere. Dricus can wrestle, grapple, his ground-and-pound is good, submissions are good. His standup is phenomenal, as shown in the last fight. It`s still not where I want it – he`s a 10 out of 10 fighter in the gym, but he was maybe a seven out of 10 against Strickland, but he still got it done. He won all five rounds. So yes, fighting Khamzat on the floor is the plan.”
Visser continued, “What has he really accomplished? Look at his opponents – Gilbert Burns put in effort, but he`s naturally a lightweight. Kamaru Usman gave him a serious challenge with minimal wrestling preparation. That`s exactly where we want to fight him. I hear he`s training with bigger guys for strength, but that won`t help. This is a fight, not just grappling or wrestling. We want to fight him on the floor and break him up in pieces there. He`s just one of those annoying guys. I`ve never had an issue with Israel Adesanya or any other fighters. This guy is just annoying… I`ve had my eye on him for a long time, and Dricus is going to finish him on the floor. Chimaev doesn`t believe it, he doesn`t think so. But that`s where we want to fight him, on the floor.”
Visser expressed particular frustration with suggestions that du Plessis would pull out of a fight without good reason, pointing to his fighter`s recent, highly active record. Du Plessis claimed the UFC middleweight title in January 2024 and has defended it multiple times since.
In stark contrast, Chimaev has become known for his limited availability, competing no more than once annually since 2022. Despite this, he remains impressive when he does step into the cage, most recently securing a brutal submission victory over former champion Robert Whittaker.
“It`s actually ridiculous how many times he`s pulled out,” Visser remarked about Chimaev. “If you look at just his last six scheduled fights, he withdrew from three. Then he fought Kevin Holland while he was overweight. He fought Kamaru Usman on ten days` notice, and I think Kamaru gave him a proper test with only ten days` prep. I don`t know why Kamaru never asked for a rematch.”
“And his win over Robert was also questionable because Robert went into that fight with broken teeth, injuries Dricus inflicted – Dricus broke Whittaker`s jaw and teeth. So what has he actually done? I don`t even think he deserves a title shot. He shouldn`t say anything. He should just show up, take his beating, and get this over and done with.”
Visser admitted another factor making him hesitant to crown Chimaev the definitive next challenger is Chimaev`s history of missing bouts. While Chimaev has faced health issues, including a severe case of COVID-19 in 2020 potentially causing long-term effects, Visser suspects other reasons contribute.
“That`s his thing, his thing is pulling out,” Visser concluded. “He likes to be a movie star. Look at his career. I think he`s fought three times in the last three years. Dricus has fought three times in just over a year – and all three were title fights. Two were five-rounders and one was a four-rounder, all tough title fights. Chimaev has fought three times in three years. He`s all about the show. I don`t think he genuinely wants to do this. He`s a movie star.”
