Dricus Du Plessis’ head coach still has thoughts lingering from his loss to Khamzat Chimaev, even months after the fight.
The build-up to UFC 319 was lengthy, and when it finally happened in August, Dricus Du Plessis took a one-sided defeat against Khamzat Chimaev in the main event.
Since then, the South African star has not been very active when it comes to talk of getting back in the cage. There has also been some discussion about whether he should switch weight classes instead of trying to get another fight with ‘Borz’.
But Morne Visser, his head coach, has not let it go. He has pinned the result on veteran referee Marc Goddard.
Morne Visser puts the blame on Marc Goddard and vows changes for next time
In the build-up to their August 16 fight, Visser did not hold back in his assessment of Chimaev. He called him ‘one-dimensional’ and went as far as to say Du Plessis would beat him at his own game.
Those comments did not age well. Du Plessis struggled throughout the bout, spending much of it on his back, unable to match Chimaev’s wrestling.
Now, some time removed from that fight, Visser has turned his attention to Goddard, suggesting that the officiating played a role in the outcome.
Speaking with Fight Forecast, he said: “We were not prepared for a guy who’s not willing to fight because really, he didn’t want to fight.
“If we knew he was gonna do that, I would’ve changed Dricus’ base, no punches, no kicks, just wrestle the guy and Dricus is good enough to do that… When he kept Dricus on the floor, he never wanted to fight… (Goddard) should’ve stood that fight up many times.”
The title picture has moved on since then. Chimaev is expected to face Nassourdine Imavov next.
‘Stillknocks’ is not close to another title shot just yet but Morne Visser says they are already making adjustments with an eye towards a future rematch.
“We’ve learned a hell of a lot… This time around, he’s gonna get f—– up. He’s got zero chance against Dricus chance in the standup, he’s got zero chance against Dricus in the clinch, his only chance is to keep us on the floor, so that’s the only thing we need to fix.”
What is next for Dricus Du Plessis in his path back to title contention?
The middleweight division is packed with fresh faces, and in just over a month, Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez are set to square off in a bout that could have big implications for the title picture.
Whoever comes out on top is expected to face the winner of Chimaev vs Imavov, which narrows down Du Plessis’ options for his next step.
One matchup that stands out right now is Brendan Allen. He’s put together an impressive run, including back-to-back wins over Marvin Vettori and Reinier De Ridder.
