Dricus Du Plessis confident he can make Khamzat Chimaev quit

Dricus du Plessis said he believed he was winning until the final 10 seconds of his middleweight title defense against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August 2026. Chimaev earned a unanimous decision after controlling the ground exchanges for nearly 22 of 25 minutes in Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. In comments on The Ariel Helwani Show, Du Plessis said Chimaev “was not tougher than expected” and that a late top position felt like “he didn’t want to be there.” Du Plessis remains confident about a potential rematch, while coach Morne Visser expressed disappointment that referee Marc Goddard did not stand the fighters up during stretches of limited activity.