Khamzat Chimaev admits he feared losing black belt after near-costly mistake against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319

Khamzat Chimaev has realized his dream of becoming the undisputed middleweight champion by securing a unanimous decision victory against Dricus du Plessis in their UFC 319 main event bout moments ago.

Chimaev emerged onto the UFC scene in 2020, but his championship ambitions were delayed due to health complications and travel restrictions. However, he finally earned his shot at UFC gold and made the most out of it.

'Borz' proved his caliber by cruising past Dricus du Plessis in dominant fashion, racking up 529 total strikes and 21 minutes and 40 seconds of control time on the ground. He made history by becoming the first Chechen fighter to capture UFC gold.

The Chechen fighter was in complete control for the majority of the bout, however, he gave up his back in the final moments of the fight, presenting a brief opportunity to du Plessis to catch him off-guard and potentially secure a late finish. Chimaev stated during the post-fight presser that he feared his mistake could potentially cost him his black belt.

"Just because I was sweating, I went under [during] the last 30 seconds to try to finish [du Plessis]. I heard my corner say '30 seconds,' which means to go to beat him. I tried but made a mistake. So, thankful for my coach that he gave me the black belt, but I was like, when I went under, I really don't have a black belt now, but he [gave it to me]. Respect. Thanks."

Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments below (39:10):