Rival Dricus Du Plessis Denies Khamzat Chimaev’s ‘Ridiculous’ Weight Factor For UFC 328 Loss — ‘Take Your Loss Like A Man’

This past UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland title matchup saw quite the upset at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Former kingpin Khamzat Chimaev coughed up his UFC 185-pound hardware to rival Sean Strickland in a split decision flub. One-time rival and former divisional king, Dricus Du Plessis, has given his two cents on Khamzat stating his weight cut for the loss.

Anyone acquainted with Chimaev’s illustrious and undefeated run so far went in expecting him to conquer Sean Strickland. He is often controversially labeled to be at par with the greatest UFC middleweights due to how dominant he usually is. Per the usual odds (DraftKings/ Fightodds.io), Borz went in as a -575 in favor of keeping his middleweight belt at UFC 328.

Khamzat Chimaev was equally great and swabbed out those like Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis himself when they fought. DDP has fought both and knows their ins and outs, docking two wins against Sean Strickland and a loss against Chimaev. Hence, he was not impressed with the Chechen bringing up weight cut issues for his loss.

Think this whole weight cut excuse [is] ..it’s ridiculous, I mean, they said he cut 12 pounds in the last 24 hours. Those are rookie numbers. That is not [even] bad numbers [for a cut]. What matters is that last 24 hours and 12 pounds is not that much. Sometimes I have had bad cuts too; I just think using a weight cut as an excuse when it comes to the fight, even if you did have a bad cut, it’s fine. You don’t go out and say, ‘Oh, I lost the fight because of that.’ No…If you went in there with a big injury, you made the decision to fight. If the injury was so severe, don’t take the fight. But even if the injury was the reason for losing, be a man and take your loss like a man. Don’t make such excuses.

Dricus Du Plessis on the Fight Forecast (@FightForecastShow)

There were well-registered rumors about Chimaev going upto light heavyweight limits before this fight. Despite jaw-dropping performances and scrambles, he’s also famed for many cancelled bouts, pullouts and weight issues. Du Plessis admits even “one kilogram” of weight cut can make a whole lot of difference, but advises not to use it as a running gag.

It’s similarly on the veins of what Dustin Poirier once said about Benoit Saint-Denis blaming his UFC 299 loss on staph. To victors go the spoils; losers, though, can’t gag up injuries and bad cuts. Those sound like an excuse. ‘Stillknocks’, who hasn’t fought since dropping his UFC 185-pound gold to Chimaev last summer, has advised more discipline going in. On the topic of which, DDP is on the mill for a vibrant matchup next.

Opening bet odds for Dricus Du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman unofficial Oklahoma scrap make rounds

UFC, under Paramount, is returning to Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City this mid-July. There are rampant rumors that former champ Dricus Du Plessis will return to action soon. Rumor has it he’s up against former Khamzat Chimaev rival and ex-welterweight king, Kamaru Usman.

Most sportsbooks (BeOnline, Fightodds.io, and others) list DDP as a -230 favorite, with an implied 69.7% probability of beating Usman if they meet. ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ was once a force at welterweight with a 5-0 title reign, but that has since changed. And that could be the reason for his recent dwindling odds.

Usman (21-4) ended his three-year slump with a win over welterweight Joaquin Buckley in the summer of 2025 (Atlanta) and hasn’t fought since. Dricus Du Plessis’ (23-3) last few scraps were UFC 328’s Chimaev and Sean Strickland.

Now with UFC 328 and marquee events over, the UFC is expected to announce the Oklahoma City headlining event in the coming days. The UFC event in OC is also rumoured to feature Amanda Ribas vs. Fatima Kline, Veronica Hardy vs. Dione Barbosa, and Brad Tavares vs. Marc-André Barriault in the lineup.

ALSO READ: Khamzat Chimaev UFC Record Analysis: The Unbeaten ‘Borz’ and His Path to Gold