Dricus du Plessis' coach slams UFC 319 referee, Khamzat Chimaev celebrates victory, Islam Makhachev consoles Aaron Pico: MMA News Roundup

Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda MMA News Roundup! Dricus du Plessis’ coach criticized the referee following his charge's loss to Khamzat Chimaev. Meanwhile, Chimaev celebrated his win at UFC 319. Elsewhere, Islam Makhachev offered support to Aaron Pico after his brutal KO loss. Let's break them all down.

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Dricus du Plessis’ coach slams UFC 319 referee

Following Dricus du Plessis’ loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319, his coach Morne Visser argued the referee allowed the contest to drag on in the grappling terrain unnecessarily. Chimaev set a UFC record with 21 minutes and 40 seconds of control time, landing 12 takedowns and 529 strikes en route to a dominant decision.

Yet Visser insisted the referee should have enforced more stand-ups. Speaking to Submission Radio, he said:

"I think we could have done a lot better, but I also think the ref should have done better. But you know what it's like when you lose or something doesn't go your way, you always want to blame somebody else. But I do think the referee should have just made that fight a... bit more live."

He added:

"[Chimaev] just did enough... He obviously controlled positions very very well, and he just did enough to keep the ref [from] not letting the fight stand up. But I think when it goes that slow for 20 seconds, first warning, second warning, five seconds later, third, five seconds later, stand the fight up, man."

Check out Morne Visser's comments below:

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Khamzat Chimaev celebrates title win in style

After claiming the UFC middleweight belt with a dominant win over Dricus du Plessis, Khamzat Chimaev enjoyed the win with his close ones. His first call went to his mother, a touching moment shared online.

He later FaceTimed with Ramzan Kadyrov’s son before connecting with Swedish soccer legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic while tucking into steak and fries.

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Islam Makhachev consoles Aaron Pico after KO loss

Aaron Pico endured a rough setback, suffering a first-round knockout loss to Lerone Murphy in his UFC debut. Following the defeat, Pico took to Instagram and wrote:

“Last night wasn’t my night, that’s the fight game… Wins and losses both teach lessons, and I’ll come back sharper, stronger, and better prepared.”

He thanked his team, family, and loyal supporters while assuring fans his health was fine. Among the many who reached out was former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who commented:

“Head up champ.”