Chimaev dominance in UFC title win sends stark warning to rivals
Apart from the last couple of minutes of the final round, the Chechen-born Chimaev, who began training in MMA while living in Sweden before moving to Abu Dhabi and fighting under the flag of the United Arab Emirates, utterly smothered his South African opponent.
Despite being the champion, Du Plessis came into the fight as the betting underdog and it quickly became apparent why. Having built his career on his suffocating wrestling, the 31-year-old Chimaev immediately took the champion down and the punishment began.
In all, Chimaev fired off a whopping 567 strikes over the course of five five-minute rounds, landing a stunning 529 of them. Du Plessis managed a mere 68, and landed only 45.
Nothing the challenger did was either unexpected or fancy. He took the fight to the mat with a double-leg takedown and then advanced to a crucifix position, trapping the right arm of Du Plessis with his legs and lying across his opponent's torso to control his other arm.
That left Du Plessis almost defenceless as Chimaev fired short left hands at his head, knowing that one wrong move by the man on the bottom while trying to escape could put him in a worse position, or even see him knocked out.
To his great credit Du Plessis, who is also 31, never quit but by the end of the third round he was so far behind on the scorecards that he needed a finish. He somehow found the energy to go on the offensive in the final two minutes of the fight, but to no avail.
Incredibly for such a one-sided fight, the toughness of Du Plessis managed to keep the fans in attendance at the United Center on the edge of their seats, despite knowing that Chimaev was on his way to a one-sided unanimous decision victory.
The UFC had a number of middleweight contenders sitting cage-side, and their only consolation as they watched the brutal beat-down of Du Plessis and Chimaev's coronation might have been that he didn't manage to finish the fight early with a violent knockout or submission.
If that is indeed his only flaw, none of them will be heading to the gym on Monday morning and relishing the prospect of facing the new champion and challenging him for the belt.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
9 hours ago
- CNA
Springboks suffer injury blows ahead of second test against Australia
CAPE TOWN :As if the pain of a first defeat to Australia at Ellis Park in 62 years was not enough, South Africa face a heavy injury toll from the 38-22 defeat in Saturday's Rugby Championship opener, with captain Siya Kolisi sidelined for an extended period. Kolisi suffered a knee injury as Australia rallied from 22 points down in a stunning second-half display and is out of the second test in Cape Town on Saturday and likely the two-match tour to New Zealand that follows. Kolisi is expected to be out for four weeks, which means he will miss the Springboks' eagerly anticipated clash with New Zealand at Eden Park on September 6, where they are seeking a first win since 1937. Loose-forward Pieter-Steph du Toit suffered a concussion in the weekend defeat and will also miss the second game as he goes through return to play protocols. Both wings from the loss, Kurt-Lee Arendse (knee) and Edwill van der Merwe (ankle), are also out of this coming weekend. That should be tempered by the return from injury of experienced wing Cheslin Kolbe, who is expected to be available. Inside centre Damian de Allende, an important cog in the backline, is also set to be fit after missing Saturday's loss. Coach Rassie Erasmus says the team are aware of their shortcomings at Ellis Park as they tried to move the ball too expansively and were picked off by a clinical Australia. "We had a proper meeting and the feeling is frustration," he told reporters on Monday. "But at least we know what we did wrong. That's the most important thing. They totally outplayed us. "If you play beautiful rugby and you lose, you lose. If you play boring rugby and you win, then people are happy. We were totally on the wrong side of that balance on Saturday, and that is not because (attack coach) Tony (Brown) coaches that way. "You tend to think things are easy and there is so much space. Then a proud country like Australia take their opportunities."
CNA
12 hours ago
- CNA
Wallabies must back up shock win in second clash with Boks
CAPE TOWN :Australia's shock triumph over world champions South Africa will mean little if they do not follow up last week's victory with success in their second Rugby Championship clash in Cape Town on Saturday, said back-up scrumhalf Tate McDermott. The Wallabies bounced back after losing their home series against the British & Irish Lions to inflict an embarrassing defeat on South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday, coming back from 22-0 down inside the first quarter of the game to post a convincing 38-22 win in the opening match of this year's southern hemisphere championship. 'Obviously it was a really proud moment. It had been 60-odd years since we'd got a result at Ellis Park, so it was a huge occasion,' McDermott told a press conference on Monday. 'We've been talking a lot about how we're trending in the right direction and that was another step, but it doesn't mean much if we don't back it up this weekend.' McDermott, 26, said they were expecting a backlash from the home team when they meet again at the Cape Town Stadium. 'The Springboks were world class, we saw what they did in the first 20 minutes, they tore us to shreds, so we know that they're coming and they're coming hard. We've got to back it up,' he added. McDermott said he and his teammates on the replacement bench were in shock as Australia conceded three tries in 18 minutes but then in awe of the way the Wallabies recovered against the odds. 'The Springboks went bang, bang, bang pretty quick and the way that they scored their tries, through width, through skill and through power was exactly what they're famous for. 'But the way that we stuck in the fight was something I was really proud of from the bench. It looked like we always had that belief, even though you're standing there after 18 minutes and it's 22-0. "The fight that we showed to stay in there and the resolve we showed and the way we've fought our way back into that second quarter in particular was something we can be really proud of,' he added.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Mixed Martial Arts-Chimaev dominance in UFC title win sends stark warning to rivals
Khamzat Chimaev's total dominance of Dricus du Plessis to win the UFC middleweight title in Chicago on Saturday was reflected in some jaw-dropping statistics that paint a stark picture of the challenge faced by any challenger hoping to dethrone him. Apart from the last couple of minutes of the final round, the Chechen-born Chimaev, who began training in MMA while living in Sweden before moving to Abu Dhabi and fighting under the flag of the United Arab Emirates, utterly smothered his South African opponent. Despite being the champion, Du Plessis came into the fight as the betting underdog and it quickly became apparent why. Having built his career on his suffocating wrestling, the 31-year-old Chimaev immediately took the champion down and the punishment began. In all, Chimaev fired off a whopping 567 strikes over the course of five five-minute rounds, landing a stunning 529 of them. Du Plessis managed a mere 68, and landed only 45. Nothing the challenger did was either unexpected or fancy. He took the fight to the mat with a double-leg takedown and then advanced to a crucifix position, trapping the right arm of Du Plessis with his legs and lying across his opponent's torso to control his other arm. That left Du Plessis almost defenceless as Chimaev fired short left hands at his head, knowing that one wrong move by the man on the bottom while trying to escape could put him in a worse position, or even see him knocked out. To his great credit Du Plessis, who is also 31, never quit but by the end of the third round he was so far behind on the scorecards that he needed a finish. He somehow found the energy to go on the offensive in the final two minutes of the fight, but to no avail. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Mandarin with Taiwanese characteristics: Taipei leverages language as soft power tool Singapore She won big in Genting, but getting $240k winnings back to Singapore was dicey Singapore Buying hope: Inside S'pore's love affair with the lottery Life Stefanie Sun makes emotional concert return to Taiwan, where she made her debut Singapore Motorcyclist dies after multi-vehicle collision on TPE Singapore I want to divorce my husband and be a single mother: More victims speaking up on emotional abuse Asia Dozens injured after magnitude 6.0 quake strikes Sulawesi, Indonesia, official says Incredibly for such a one-sided fight, the toughness of Du Plessis managed to keep the fans in attendance at the United Center on the edge of their seats, despite knowing that Chimaev was on his way to a one-sided unanimous decision victory. The UFC had a number of middleweight contenders sitting cage-side, and their only consolation as they watched the brutal beat-down of Du Plessis and Chimaev's coronation might have been that he didn't manage to finish the fight early with a violent knockout or submission. If that is indeed his only flaw, none of them will be heading to the gym on Monday morning and relishing the prospect of facing the new champion and challenging him for the belt. REUTERS
