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Du Plessis dismisses weight cut excuse for Chimaev after UFC 328 defeat to Strickland

Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis has rejected claims that a difficult weight cut cost Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, where Chimaev lost a split decision to Sean Strickland. Du Plessis argued that 12 pounds in 24 hours is manageable and that blaming the cut is simply an excuse.

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Du Plessis dismisses weight cut excuse for Chimaev after UFC 328 defeat to Strickland
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Dricus Du Plessis has little sympathy for the narrative surrounding Khamzat Chimaev’s weight cut ahead of UFC 328, where Chimaev suffered the first defeat of his UFC career, losing a split decision to Sean Strickland in their middleweight championship bout.

Chimaev appeared visibly drained at the weigh-ins, and in the aftermath of the loss, both Arman Tsarukyan and his brother Artur claimed the cut had compromised Chimaev’s performance. “Borz” notably gassed out on a failed takedown in Round 2, though he recovered well enough to make the contest competitive before the judges’ scorecards went against him.

Du Plessis was unconvinced. “I think this whole weight cut excuse is ridiculous, to be honest with you,” the champion said in an interview with Fight Forecast. “Tsarukyan said he cut 12 pounds in the 24 hours. Those are rookie numbers. Twelve pounds in 24 hours, that’s not that bad. I’ve definitely done more than that.”

The South African acknowledged that bad weight cuts happen to everyone, but drew a firm line at using them as a post-fight explanation. “If you want to change weight divisions, change weight divisions, but blaming a bad weight cut is like saying, ‘I lost the fight because I wasn’t fit.’ It’s on you. Be more disciplined. Any excuse, for me, when you get into the octagon, there is no excuse.”

Beyond the weight cut debate, Du Plessis believes the defeat has done lasting damage to Chimaev’s reputation. While Chimaev had previously been tested by Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns, he had never lost inside the UFC, building an aura of near-invincibility through dominant performances.

“I think a lot of aura was lost in that, but Khamzat’s still an incredible fighter,” Du Plessis said. “This fight is going to go one of two ways for him. Is this going to break him or is this going to motivate him to say, ‘I can’t just rely on my wrestling. I need to fight MMA’? Because that is where this sport is heading. The wrestling guys have been so dominant that everybody’s starting to catch up.”

Chimaev has indicated he wants either an immediate rematch with Strickland or a move up to light heavyweight at 205 pounds, though his next step remains undecided.

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