{"id":6345,"date":"2025-08-18T00:18:28","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T23:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=6345"},"modified":"2025-08-18T19:30:36","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:30:36","slug":"khamzat-chimaev-imposes-his-law-on-dricus-du-plessis-are-we-witnessing-the-dawn-of-a-new-middleweight-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/khamzat-chimaev-imposes-his-law-on-dricus-du-plessis-are-we-witnessing-the-dawn-of-a-new-middleweight-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Khamzat Chimaev Imposes His Law on Dricus Du Plessis: Are We Witnessing the Dawn of a New Middleweight Era?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"210\" data-end=\"579\">The main event of <strong data-start=\"228\" data-end=\"239\">UFC 319<\/strong> between Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus Du Plessis was far from just another fight; it was a true test of balance within the middleweight division. What many expected to be a grueling five-round war quickly turned into a showcase of absolute dominance by the Chechen fighter nicknamed &#8220;Borz,&#8221; who controlled every moment from start to finish.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"210\" data-end=\"579\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"x1ejq31n x18oe1m7 x1sy0etr xstzfhl x6ikm8r x10wlt62\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmmamag.ma%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0eEotQsZtTzqMiSdmU87sf7XNWPUBJd3PDpD2gXzheWpj1Ksue5iCiVVmjwrmXnKNl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"690\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"581\" data-end=\"608\">Relentless Domination<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"609\" data-end=\"1059\">Chimaev delivered what could be described as a masterclass in strategic control: constant pressure, repeated takedowns, and a complete suffocation of his opponent\u2019s options. Round after round, the same pattern unfolded\u2014one fighter attacking without respite, the other struggling just to survive. The unanimous decision (5-0) in favor of &#8220;Borz&#8221; looked less like a scorecard and more like a proclamation: the emergence of a new force in the division.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udfc6 The moment we\u2019ve all been waiting for!<br \/>Khamzat Chimaev crowned World Champion at UFC319 \u2764\ufe0f\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udcaa<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC319?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UFC319<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MMA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MMA<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfc6 \u0644\u0644\u062d\u0638\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0646\u062a\u0638\u0631\u0629!<br \/>\u062d\u0645\u0632\u0629 \u062a\u0634\u0645\u0627\u064a\u0641 \u064a\u064f\u062a\u0648\u0651\u062c \u0628\u0637\u0644 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0627\u0644\u0645 \u0641\u064a UFC319 \u2764\ufe0f\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udcaa<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC319?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UFC319<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MMA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MMA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mB5RWBQ5Fq\">pic.twitter.com\/mB5RWBQ5Fq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamalsoussi10\/status\/1957047553947472327?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1061\" data-end=\"1093\">Reading the Bigger Picture<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1094\" data-end=\"1134\">This fight raises important questions:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1135\" data-end=\"1449\">\n<li data-start=\"1135\" data-end=\"1304\">\n<p data-start=\"1137\" data-end=\"1304\">Is Chimaev redefining the standards of middleweight competition, proving that victory can come not only from knockouts but also from suffocating, systematic control?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1305\" data-end=\"1449\">\n<p data-start=\"1307\" data-end=\"1449\">To what extent will this style shift impact the rest of the division, particularly those used to more traditional striking-based approaches?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1451\" data-end=\"1817\">Du Plessis, who entered the bout with an impressive UFC record (9-1), faced a harsh reality: there is a qualitative difference between being a good fighter and facing an opponent who imposes an entire fighting philosophy. This loss may become a turning point in his career\u2014either spurring him to rebuild his arsenal or risking his place among the division\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1819\" data-end=\"1840\">Beyond the Cage<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1841\" data-end=\"2258\">The significance of Chimaev\u2019s victory goes beyond the octagon. Representing the United Arab Emirates on the global stage, he reinforces the image of a fighter who is more than a passing phenomenon\u2014he is a long-term project with the potential to reshape the division entirely. His rise also signals the growing influence of the Arab and Muslim world in a sport historically dominated by Western and Latin traditions.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">Khamzat Chimaev speaks about the attempted execution:<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f &quot;I hope I die before anyone gets to kill me.&quot; \ud83d\ude33\ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n<p>\u062d\u0645\u0632\u0629 \u062a\u0634\u0645\u0627\u064a\u0641 \u064a\u062a\u062d\u062f\u062b \u0639\u0646 \u0645\u062d\u0627\u0648\u0644\u0629 \u0625\u0639\u062f\u0627\u0645\u0647:<br \/>\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f &quot;\u0623\u062a\u0645\u0646\u0649 \u0623\u0646 \u0623\u0645\u0648\u062a \u0642\u0628\u0644 \u0623\u0646 \u064a\u0642\u062a\u0644\u0646\u064a \u0623\u062d\u062f.&quot; \ud83d\ude33\ud83d\udd25  <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UFC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1O64fmCVvR\">pic.twitter.com\/1O64fmCVvR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamalsoussi10\/status\/1957051311389896976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2260\" data-end=\"2292\">Looking Ahead: Who\u2019s Next?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2293\" data-end=\"2493\">The key question now is: who dares to step into the cage with Chimaev next? And can any current middleweight find a way to break through his ironclad style\u2014or are we indeed at the dawn of a new era?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2495\" data-end=\"2655\">The answer will unfold in future battles, but one thing was clear in Chicago: Chimaev did not come to merely compete\u2014he came to rewrite the rules of the game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The main event of UFC 319 between Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus Du Plessis was far from just another fight; it was a true test of balance within the middleweight division. What many expected to be a grueling five-round war quickly turned into a showcase of absolute dominance by the Chechen fighter nicknamed &#8220;Borz,&#8221; who controlled [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6346,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,86,21,91],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6345","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"category-mma-video","9":"category-ufc-news","10":"category-ufc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6345"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6345"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6347,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6345\/revisions\/6347"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}