"DDP did a worse job" - Paulo Costa breaks down Dricus du Plessis' flawed performance vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Paulo Costa recently shared his thoughts on Dricus du Plessis' performance against Khamzat Chimaev. He observed that the South African fighter fell into Chimaev's trap, which ultimately cost him the match.

Du Plessis and 'Borz' squared off in the main event of UFC 319 for the middleweight championship. Throughout the bout, Chimaev dominated 'Stillknocks', achieving over 21 minutes and 40 seconds of control time and winning the fight via unanimous decision.

In an interview with The Schmo, Costa criticized du Plessis' performance, saying:

"[Dricus du Plessis] got stuck in that crucifix. Chimaev [had] good positions above, but he could not hit anyway, but DDP did a worse job. He got stuck in the crucifix for five minutes and... when I saw that, I thought, man, the fight is over because you're going to be gassed."

Check out Paulo Costa's comments below (4:35):

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Paulo Costa reflects on Khamzat Chimaev's strategy against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319

Paulo Costa is currently ranked No. 13 in the UFC middleweight division and is a former title challenger. He does not appear to have a strong camaraderie with Khamzat Chimaev or Dricus du Plessis.

In an interview with Submission Radio, Costa also took a dig at Chimaev's game plan against du Plessis at UFC 319, saying:

"No, I was not impressed... Everybody knew what he was going to do. [Chimaev] did the same, he just shot on the leg in the very beginning... He needed to fight back to get up on his feet... He is a tough guy to fight, and Khamzat Chimaev knew that, that why he held him [down] for so long. Even the fifth round. Fifth round, Dricus [du Plessis] was still dangerous, you know, and Chimaev was afraid to fight him fairly." [6:33 of the video]