Overview

• At UFC 319 in Chicago, Khamzat Chimaev dominated Dricus du Plessis with 12 takedowns, more than 21 minutes of control and 529 strikes to claim the middleweight title by unanimous decision.
• Chael Sonnen ridiculed du Plessis’ grappling gaps, saying even his 10-year-old son could demonstrate basic double-leg defense and offering a blunt public tutorial.
• Quinton “Rampage” Jackson said du Plessis should not seek a rematch and urged a drop to welterweight, a view paired with Kamaru Usman’s critique that technical errors kept du Plessis from escaping bad positions.
• Du Plessis’ team maintains that three to four months of focused wrestling work could address the deficiencies and put him a couple of wins from another title shot.
• Reporting indicates Chimaev is expected to look to other contenders next, with speculation tying his first defense to the Imavov–Borralho winner rather than an immediate du Plessis rematch.