Dricus Du Plessis Breaks Silence on UFC 319 Loss, Gets New Offer To Fight

For the first time since losing his middleweight title earlier this month, Dricus Du Plessis has finally addressed his fans. Back at the UFC 319: Du Plessis vs. Chimaev PPV main event, ‘Stillknocks’ lost his UFC gold in a one-sided domination. Since then, he has had an offer to fight from ‘Khamzat Chimaev‘ rival Paulo Costa as well.

At the present moment, Du Plessis has released his thoughts on social media handles, in which he avers that he is “not a good loser.” He has vowed to return and dominate the UFC 185-pound division once again, but a rematch seems unlikely since the new champion won so decisively; the promotion is more focused on other things at the moment.

It’s been just over a week and I have spent some time with my family and friends, those closest to me who will be with me win or lose.
I embrace this loss with open arms, because believe me as much as I hate losing, it’s as much part of life as part of our game- and I believe it’s necessary in my pursuit of greatness. “Without the bitter, the sweet wouldn’t be as sweet.”
Make no mistake I’m not a good loser, because a good loser becomes a frequent one. I am however- an avid learner of the arts and of life itself…

Dricus Du Plessis via IG post (@dricusduplessis)

Dricus Du Plessis did admit title defeat graciously, without any takebacks or blame. Chimaev set multiple records in his five-round PPV title bout against the defending champion. He held the Afrikaner on the ground for nearly 22 minutes, achieved 12 successful TDs, and outlanded an avid striker like DDP with 529 total strikes.

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A post shared by Dricus du Plessis (@dricusduplessis)

Du Plessis did specify he was beaten by the better fighter, but promised to return better. On Submission Radio, Morné Visser, Du Plessis’ head coach, said that they will need six months in camp to rectify the mistakes at UFC 319 PPV and to work more on their grappling if they want to win a potential rematch. For now, the former champ is already fielding offers that in turn can help him get back on top of the pecking order.

Paulo Costa offers to fight Dricus Du Plessis

Former middleweight title contender Paulo Costa is hell-bent on fighting long-time rival Chimaev. The two were to fight at UFC 294, but Costa was deemed medically unable to continue camp after a subsequent elbow surgery due to staph.

Despite a modest string of losses, Paulo Costa remains one of the most talked-about fighters in the 185-pound division. Costa is on a rebound phase after his win at UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 PPV event over Roman Kopylov. He is 2-2 in his last few and picked up his first win since 2022.

There are other plans for champ Chimaev, and the Team Borracha fighter is not it. However, Costa has detailed that he wants to fight at least one more time this year, and the past champ Dricus Du Plessis looks good for it.

Paulo Costa calls out Dricus du Plessis 👀

"I will fight this year. I still have one more fight in 2025, before Christmas… Dricus is fresh from the belt. He's so unpredictable, tough guy to fight… that would be a great fight. A huge fight."

(via @SubmissionRadio) pic.twitter.com/KXp3T2ASqM

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 25, 2025

DDP is still the No. 1-ranked fighter on the Athletes’ Listings, and a win over the former champ would make the #13 Costa undeniable. He had already called out Chimaev after UFC 318, and if he manages to win this one, it can propel him to title talks sooner rather than later. Conversely, it remains to be seen if winning down the order helps the South African fighter catch Chimaev’s attention.

ALSO READ: Khamzat Chimaev vs Khabib: Who Is the Better Wrestler?