‘Borz’ remained undefeated in the UFC 319 main event, which saw Chimaev dominated Dricus du Plessis for 25 minutes to secure three 50-44 scorecards in his favor and have the 185-pound gold wrapped around his waist.

Despite losing his UFC middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev, Dricus du Plessis continues to cement his status as one of South Africa’s top MMA stars, with his skill, marketability, and rising profile showing that his career is only heading upwards.

Whittaker, who was quickly submitted by Chimaev at UFC 308, went on to lose his second-straight fight to Reinier de Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) last month in the UFC on ABC 9 headliner. De Ridder was able to survive a Round 3 knockdown to outlast Whittaker.

Unlike his two prior title defences, the build-up to Dricus du Plessis’ third title defence, against Khamzat Chimaev, has been strictly focused on the action inside the octagon.

What prevented Khamzat Chimaev from finishing Dricus Du Plessis despite the utter domination? "A lot of mistakes," according to Kamaru Usman.