Joe Rogan Gets Shocking Reality Check from BJJ Superstar About Dricus Du Plessis 

UFC veteran commentator and BJJ expert weigh in on the ground game needed for Dricus Du Plessis to face Khamzat Chimaev in the future..

Joe Rogan Gets Shocking Reality Check from BJJ Superstar About Dricus Du Plessis 

Joe Rogan gets stunned after learning about Dricus Du Plessis's skin chances to beat Khamzat Chimaev (via X)

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Dricus Du Plessis fought Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319, with fans getting to see one of the most lop-sided title match-ups ever. The Chechen juggernaut recorded over 21 minutes of control time with 12 takedowns and 529 total strikes. Moreover, he even got the South African in the crucifix position on three different occasions.

These numbers speak for themselves. This enormous control was enough for the Russian to win the bout via unanimous decision (50-44 across the board) and take home the middleweight championship belt. Going into the fight, Du Plessis and his coach, Morne Visser, had discussed taking Chimaev’s wrestling head-on and defending it successfully.

However, in reality, the stark difference in skills was clearly visible, leaving DDP completely helpless against Chimaev’s relentless grappling and pressure. In a recent podcast with Joe Rogan, BJJ expert Gordon Ryan explained how much training Du Plessis needs for Chimaev.

If I work with DDP. Seven days a week for a year, he could be bare minimum competitive with the Khamzat that he fought. Thats the issue that he needs to split everything up. But right now there’s such as discrepancy in grappling that needs to take priority. 

Gordon Ryan via JRE Fight Companion 

Ryan mentioned that, along with that, Du Plessis must continue training in other MMA aspects just to remain fully prepared. The UFC commentator was surprised by the statement, as he could not believe how dominant Chimaev truly is inside the Octagon. Throughout his UFC career leading up to the Chimaev fight, Du Plessis mostly dominated opponents with his awkward and unpredictable fighting style.

However, against Chimaev, the South African was never given any breathing space during the entire five-round championship battle. Many fans were unhappy with the fight and claimed it was boring since ‘Borz’ did not attempt a finish. They criticized Chimaev’s wrestling-heavy style and warned that fighters using similar approaches will eventually ruin the excitement within the sport.

However, others appreciated the one-sided dominance, and experts like Demetrious Johnson and Robert Whittaker directly called out the casual fans. According to them, controlling a sitting champion like that for over 21 minutes is a massive achievement and extremely rare. Nevertheless, the debate surrounding this dominant yet criticized performance continues steadily gaining traction among analysts and fans.

Dricus Du Plessis’ coach underestimated the situation at UFC 319

Following the loss, Dricus Du Plessis’s coach, Morne Visser, did not hesitate to share his honest opinion about Khamzat Chimaev. During the fight, referee Marc Goddard stepped in to stop the action on the ground and forced the fighters to stand up multiple times. Many fans and even Rogan disliked those stand-ups, believing they went against Chimaev’s dominant control throughout the entire fight.

Khamzat Chimaev dominates Dricus Du Plessis
Khamzat Chimaev dominates Dricus Du Plessis (via X)

However, the coach accused the referee of not stepping in frequently enough to create better opportunities for Du Plessis. He criticized the Russian fighter for lying over DDP without damage, though he received criticism himself for saying that. In an interview with Submission Radio, Visser explained how they believed the fight was under control during moments between the competitive championship rounds.

After the first round, the very first thing I asked Dricus was, was he okay? Obviously with trying to fight someone who wrestles that hard your arms pump up quickly, he was 100% okay and we actually laughed about it. I said to him ‘this is the very best he’s got’… I just didn’t think he would do that for five rounds. After the third I said to Dricus ‘we are three down now, do you want to take him down?’ We’ve learned a lot, a lot to go back to.

Morne Visser via Submission Radio 

Du Plessis, on the other hand, gave Chimaev full credit, accepted the loss, and promised to return soon. The coach understands the areas they need to improve, but as Ryan mentioned, the ground game gap is huge. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see whether the former champion can recover and secure another middleweight title shot soon.

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