Du Plessis Rejects Chimaev Rematch Bid After 12-Pound Weight-Cut Excuse

4 articles · Updated · MiddleEasy · May 20

Dricus Du Plessis said Khamzat Chimaev does not deserve an immediate title rematch with Sean Strickland after losing the UFC middleweight belt, arguing a fighter with zero defenses must earn another shot.
A 12-pound cut in the final 24 hours was the excuse Chimaev’s camp cited after UFC 328, but Du Plessis called that "ridiculous" and said the burden falls on any fighter who chooses to enter the cage.
Du Plessis said bad cuts and even injuries can affect performance, yet insisted they do not excuse a defeat; if middleweight is too hard, he said, Chimaev should move divisions instead of blaming the cut afterward.
At 205 pounds, Chimaev may find the easier route, Du Plessis said, while warning the Strickland loss could either push him to broaden his MMA game beyond wrestling or expose limits the division is already catching up to.

Is MMA's brutal weight-cutting culture the real villain in the Chimaev vs. Strickland fallout?

With fighters risking brain shrinkage, is it time for the UFC to finally solve its weight-cutting crisis?

Chimaev's team demands a rematch, but he eyes a new division. What is his real next move?