Coach reveals Dricus du Plessis' potential UFC return timeline

After a crushing defeat to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319, Dricus du Plessis' coach, Morne Visser, is in no rush to pit his pupil against 'Borz' again immediately. Instead, he intends to take a couple of months to resolve 'Stillknocks'' wrestling deficiencies before returning to active competition.

For context, at UFC 319, Chimaev used his unparalleled wrestling skills to hold du Plessis down on the mat for the majority of the fight, while peppering him with punches and elbows.

By the closing bell, 'Borz' had racked up almost 22 minutes of control time and landed 529 strikes, securing a 50-44 win across the judges' score cards.

During a recent interview with Submission Radio, the CIT Performance Institute head honcho teased major changes to their preparation strategies, noting that he knew how and where du Plessis needed to train to make it happen.

Addressing the topic of a potential return timeline, Visser said:

"So, he is obviously going to take a week off, maybe two weeks max. So that gives us, call it end of August. Then I need 12 to 16 weeks, which is like three to four months, to sort this problem [wrestling skill gap] out. I don't need fitness, I don't need strength, I don't need conditioning, I don't need to fix his stand up, I just need to fix this problem, and it's a fixable problem. I need about 12 to 16 weeks to fix the problem and then go back into camp immediately, a 12-week fight camp. So, we'll be back early next year."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' coach Morne Visser's comments below (20:26):

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Dricus du Plessis' coach sees "very good" chance of Anthony Hernandez dethroning Khamzat Chimaev

Dricus du Plessis' coach seems concerned about Anthony Hernandez potentially dethroning Khamzat Chimaev, while they take time away to work on 'Stillknocks'' wrestling.

During the same interview, Morne Visser expressed his admiration for 'Fluffy's' dominant submission win over Roman Dolidze at UFC Vegas 109, labeling him the current biggest threat to the middleweight champion.

When asked whether he expected 'Borz' to still hold the 185-pound belt when they returned to active competition, Visser said:

"Hernandez has got a good game on him. At this stage, I think he is the biggest threat there. So, if they do that fight in October, I think Hernandez stands a very, very good chance to take the belt. So, a lot of mix-ups in the division right now."