UFC veteran Matt Serra didn’t hold back his criticism of Dricus du Plessis’ corner following the South African’s unanimous decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. The former welterweight champion took issue with coach Morne Visser’s post-bout complaints about the officiating during his fighter’s dominant ground defeat.
“It’s never a good point when his coach starts doing interviews saying, ah the ref should have stood him up,” Serra said bluntly during his analysis of the bout. “It’s like hey dude, what are you talking about? That’s what you’re saying? Get that guy away from a mic.”
Serra’s frustration stemmed from what he viewed as misplaced blame following du Plessis’ five-round struggle against Chimaev’s suffocating wrestling attack. The Chechen native controlled nearly every minute of the contest, landing 570 total shots while maintaining dominant positions throughout the bout.
“What are you doing? Don’t say that, ‘It was really the ref’s fault.’ Dude, you had no answer,” Serra continued, his disbelief evident. “Hey dude, you had no way you wanted him to to stand up while he wasn’t crucifix or what, that’s crazy.”
Rather than acknowledging the clear technical deficiencies exposed during the bout, Serra felt the coaching staff was deflecting responsibility onto the officiating.
“My point, it’s like he’s really blaming the ref because of the lack of action. That was the worst. That’s not a good sign,” Serra concluded his critique.
Chimaev showcased his elite-level wrestling throughout the match. Du Plessis found himself repeatedly trapped in compromising positions, unable to escape the relentless pressure from his opponent.
Following the defeat, Visser did acknowledge specific areas that need improvement, particularly their preparation for “Russian style wrestling.” The coach revealed plans to spend the next 12-16 weeks working exclusively on wrestling deficiencies before considering any future matchups.
“There’s no way I’ll take a rematch with us being a little behind in our Russian style of wrestling,” Visser admitted in his post-bout interview with Submission Radio. “We’ve got to go back to the drawing board soon.”
The coach also outlined ambitious plans for addressing these weaknesses, claiming he began reaching out to wrestling specialists worldwide immediately after the loss. “I know who the right people are, and the right people are willing to help us 100% to beat Khamzat,” he stated.
Despite the setback, Visser remained defiant about future prospects, declaring his intention to “destroy” Chimaev in a potential rematch. The team is targeting an early 2025 return to competition, pending significant improvements to their ground game preparation.
