Joe Rogan believes Khamzat Chimaev showed he was levels above Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319.
Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) swarmed, stifled and out-grappled Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) en route to a lopsided decision win in Saturday’s main event at United Center in Chicago. Du Plessis’ head coach, Morne Visser, is eager to right the wrongs and dominate Chimaev in a potential rematch, but after what he saw, Rogan doesn’t see it as a possibility.
“I mean, for Dricus to come back from that and bridge the gap between him and Khamzat? That is a tall task,” Rogan said post UFC 319. “It’s a tall task because that kind of dominance, that kind of grappling dominance, was not just a level. It was multiple levels, and it just didn’t seem like he had any answer for that. I don’t know who he brought in to train with him, but clearly he didn’t bring in anybody that had that kind of skill.”
So who can stop Chimaev? Rogan sees one particular middleweight contender having a chance.
“Reinier de Ridder in particular,” Rogan said. “Given his ability to grapple on the ground and also his ability to land shots standing, particularly that knee he lands. Toughness, experience, he throws those combinations with that long lead-in knee. He’s interesting.”
