"Dirty"- Fans react as Khamzat Chimaev faces unexpected threat after ex-coach switches sides to Dricus du Plessis

The plot thickens in the saga of Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev. Ahead of their title bout at UFC 319 in August, news broke out that one of Chimaev's coaches has switched sides to train du Plessis. If this is true, the champion might receive some valuable insight that can dictate the tides come fight night.

MMA UNCENCORED reported about the story on X. In the report, a man named Ozzy Dugulubgov used to train with Chimaev and helped him prepare for his bout against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 back in 2023. Now, he's been seen helping in Dricus du Plessis' fight camp.

The report also said:

"He [Dugulubgov] comes from the same region in Russia as Khamzat and many other Russian UFC fighters hail from. It’s rumored that he has been kicked out of multiple gyms in the UAE due to a reputation for coaching fighters and then later coaching their opponents, giving those opponents an edge by exploiting prior knowledge."

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Fans are reacting to this news, with @HunterHagin saying it plainly:

"dirty"

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Meanwhile, @LukaDoncicMMA said:

"Ddp always wit the slimey tactics but that won’t stop Khamzat from ripping the belt off him"

Here are more comments:

More comments on the news. [Images courtesy: @MMAUNCENCORED on X]

Robert Whittaker provides insight on Dricus du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev

A common opponent of Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, shared some interesting insights about the two warriors. Whittaker was TKO'd by du Plessis back in 2023 and was swiftly submitted by Chimaev back in October 2024.

In an interview with MMArcade on YouTube, 'The Reaper' believes that there's no stopping Chimaev's takedowns - but ultimately sees du Plessis' durability as the equalizer in the bout.

Whittaker said:

"If [Chimaev] can't put [du Plessis] away, what does he look like coming out in round two? And then, let's say he does it again. What does he look like coming out in round three? And then we've got that Usman fight again... Dricus, he's got a gas tank... I guess that's the biggest thing in play. It's just like, what Chimaev does with the takedowns because I believe there is no doubt in my mind that he gets them and what does he do with them?"

Listen to Whittaker talk about Dricus du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev here (14:45):

About the author

Duane is an expert MMA writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience working for the likes of Philippine Star, Esquire Philippines, Playboy Philippines, etc. A major in English, he has written over 2000 articles for Sportskeeda section, extensively covering UFC and boxing fights.

Duane is a practicing MMA fighter with a 11-7 record. He is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt and trains Muay Thai. His connection with MMA dates back to 2005, when he turned into a fan after watching Fedor Emelianenko defeat Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic at Pride FC - Final Conflict 2005.

Emelianenko finds himself right at the top of Duane’s Mt. Rushmore of MMA fighters, alongside other big names like Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva.

Duane’s love for the sport is reflected in his writings, where he believes in speculating but not insinuating. He uses his intensive knowledge and skills in MMA to provide unique insights to the readers, along with sourcing information only from reliable sources.

Outside of work, Duane enjoys martial arts training, visual arts, film criticism, video games, and creative writing.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer