Game-planning roadblock Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus du Plessis pose, revealed by Nassourdine Imavov's coach: "Hyper domination"

Nassourdine Imavov’s head coach, Nicolas Ott, explains why it's difficult to prepare for opponents like Khamzat Chimaev and the reigning middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis.

Chimaev has cemented himself as the next contender for the middleweight title by securing a dominant victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. He submitted the former champion via face crank in the first round. As confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White, Chimaev is next in line to face Dricus Du Plessis.

In a recent appearance on the La Sueur podcast, Imavov’s head coach, Ott, explained why it's difficult to prepare for fighters like ‘Borz’ and ‘Stillknocks.’ He emphasized their undefeated UFC records, asserting that many coaches struggle to find a roadmap to defeat them. Ott stated:

“Difficulty with Khamzat, which is a bit the same as that of DDP, is that you don't have a blueprint to beat him because no one has beaten him. And that's always complicated for a coach—not being able to base oneself on a defeat to say, ‘The path to defeat is one we saw.’ So that's the complicated aspect of Khamzat. It's the complicated aspect of DDP. He lost at KSW, but it's been a long time since he lost in the UFC, and so it's difficult to find the path to victory.” [Auto-translation via Youtube]

Furthermore, Ott highlighted Chimaev’s dominance in fights but noted that his flaws become apparent in the later rounds. He pointed to Chimaev’s bouts with Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman, emphasizing that, so far, no one has been able to exploit those weaknesses to secure a victory. He said:

“We have the hyper domination aspect, which is also disturbing and complicated. But we also saw Round 2 and Round 3 against Burns, and we saw Round 2 and Round 3 against Usman. So, we saw flaws, we saw things that didn’t go as well. What we haven’t seen is someone who manages to use all of them.”

Check out Nicolas Ott’s comments below (57:46):

Meanwhile, ‘The Sniper' had moved up in the middleweight rankings to No. 1 with his spectacular performance at UFC Saudi Arabia this February. He knocked out Israel Adesanya in the second round to secure a victory.

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Dricus du Plessis views Khamzat Chimaev’s potential fight as a legacy-defining opportunity

Dricus Du Plessis secured a dominant victory to defend his middleweight title for the second time. He faced Sean Strickland at UFC 312, delivering an impressive performance and earning a unanimous decision win this month.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani, ‘Stillknocks’ dismissed Khamzat Chimaev as a boogeyman but acknowledged that a win over him would make a significant impact on his resume. He stated:

“People see Khamzat as this boogeyman. That’s a fact. I don’t. I don’t see that. For me, I only see one thing — that’s the potential to do good to my legacy. The potential to make my legacy even better.”

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (19:34):