“I was expecting more of the wild wolf animal” - Ex-UFC star gets 100% real about Khamzat Chimaev’s win over Dricus du Plessis

Former UFC star Josh Thomson recently shared his two cents on the recent Khamzat Chimaev vs. Dricus du Plessis fight. Thomson stated that he expected more action from Chimaev and didn't believe the fight lived up to its hype.

Chimaev and du Plessis threw down in a middleweight title fight at UFC 319 last weekend. While many expected du Plessis to push Chimaev to his limits, the Chechen-born grappling maestro dominated the fight over five rounds and neutralized most of the South African fighter's efforts. Chimaev ultimately won the bout via unanimous decision and became the new UFC middleweight king.

In an episode of the WEIGHING IN show, Thomson expressed his disappointment about the grappling-heavy nature of the fight and said:

"Overall, I was expecting a different fight. I was expecting some control, like Chimaev had, but I was expecting more of the wild, wolf, animal to be more aggressive in those positions. Big shots on the side when he had the fence. He never unlocked his hands. He waited for DDP to stand up and get away, never tried to stand up and get away. So, the fight just didn't live up to the hype that I was expecting it to be. I had many people texting me going, 'Damn, this is boring.' And I'm like, 'But it's dominant.'"

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Catch Josh Thomson's comments below (12:14):

Dana White on Khamzat Chimaev vs. Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319

It appears Dana White was impressed with Khamzat Chimaev's performance against Dricus du Plessis last weekend. The UFC CEO shared his thoughts on the middleweight title event at UFC 319 and pointed out how badly du Plessis got dominated over five rounds.

Speaking at the post-fight presser, White lauded Chimaev's incredible grappling prowess and said:

"The lead up to this fight, I said, 'I bet the main event is the Fight of the Night.' I didn't see that coming, but not shocked either. The way that he dominated, if he could do it the first round, more likely you're going to do it the second and throughout the rest of the fight."

He continued:

"Just getting dominated on the ground, the way that he did, is no fun for anybody... His face was pretty busted up. The knees that he was taking to the body and to the legs, and the hips. It's gonna be a long ride home to South Africa."

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Edited by Nishant Zende.