Dricus du Plessis' coach argues referee "should've done better" in UFC 319 defeat to Khamzat Chimaev: "Stand the fight up man" 

Dricus du Plessis’ head coach believes that the referee could have managed the UFC 319 title fight against Khamzat Chimaev with more urgency. Coach Morne Visser argued that Chimaev’s heavy wrestling control was allowed to drag the bout into long stretches of inactivity.

Overwhelming statistics backed Chimaev’s unanimous decision victory in Chicago. He landed 12 takedowns, set a UFC record with 21 minutes and 40 seconds of control time, and connected on 529 total strikes.

However, in a recent interview with Submission Radio in the aftermath of the fight, Visser suggested that stand-ups should have been enforced when prolonged stalemates developed:

"I think we could have done a lot better, but I also think the ref should have done better. But you know what it's like when you lose or something doesn't go your way, you always want to blame somebody else. But I do think the referee should have just made that fight a... bit more live."

He added:

"[Chimaev] just did enough... He obviously controlled positions very very well, and he just did enough to keep the ref [from] not letting the fight stand up. But I think when it goes that slow for 20 seconds, first warning, second warning, five seconds later, third, five cseconds later, stand the fight up, man."

Check out Morne Visser's comments below:

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Morne Visser details corner exchanges with Dricus du Plessis against Khamzat Chimaev

Morne Visser revealed how his instructions to Dricus du Plessis unfolded between rounds in the UFC 319 title fight. After the opening frame, he checked on du Plessis’ conditioning and felt reassured that fatigue was not an issue despite the heavy wrestling pace.

The corner believed Khamzat Chimaev’s approach might fade over time, but by the third round, Visser acknowledged they were well behind on the scorecards. He asked du Plessis about pursuing takedowns, but his fighter dismissed the option.

Shedding light on the corner exchanges in the aforementioned interview with Submission Radio, he said:

"'Okay, this is the very best he's got. He just showed us what he can do.' He's going to keep on trying to do that. And I just didn't think that he will try to do that for five rounds. So, we were communicating between the rounds. I think after a third, I said, 'Okay, we are three down now. Do you want to take him down?' And he said to me, 'Coach, he's too wet. Um, too slippery.'"