MMA analyst Chael Sonnen offered a sharp breakdown of Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant win over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319.
A new middleweight champion emerges
Chimaev defeated du Plessis in the Chicago main event to claim the UFC middleweight title. He relied on superior wrestling from start to finish. When the final horn sounded, the result was undeniable. Chimaev had earned the right to call himself champion.
While Chimaev impressed, du Plessis left many disappointed. Fans expected more resistance from him. Still, only du Plessis knows what went wrong inside the cage. Many now wonder what a rematch would reveal.
Sonnen explains the method
In his video analysis, Sonnen described Chimaev’s performance as something new to the sport. “It’s very important to understand how Chimaev controlled Dricus because you’ve never seen this before,” Sonnen said. He even noted that he had never witnessed such control in practice.
He detailed the decisive exchanges. Du Plessis tried to rise from all fours, but Chimaev shut him down. When du Plessis attempted to counter, he scored some reversals. For a moment, he looked competitive. The fight turned into a grappling contest, a setting du Plessis usually prefers.
Dominance through the basics
Sonnen underlined that Chimaev did not rely on advanced grappling moves. Instead, he used fundamental techniques. “Push him forward. Pull him back. Move him left. Move him right. Force him to reset again and again,” Sonnen explained.
This approach fascinated the analyst. Chimaev showed restraint by grappling with less than his full arsenal. Sonnen admitted many observers found this unsettling. “I will just tell you, I’ve never seen it before,” he concluded.
