Many fans and hunters expected Cardio to be a substantial factor in the UFC 319 main event.
After he became the middleweight champion with a one -sided achievement, Khamzat Chimaev said that he intends to continue working with the coach who helped him improve this aspect of his game.
Dricus Du Plessis was unable to produce a considerable meeting late in the fight because he was often brought down and controlled by his challenger.
There is one competition in the middleweight division that, according to some, have a better chance of dealing with the elite struggling of the new champion.
Chimaev even hinted that this opponent could be his first title defense after a short post on social media a few days after his dominant display.
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Reinier de Ridder is not ready to write off questions about the cardio of Khamzat Chimaev after UFC 319
If a large middleweight with a number of elite grab skills themselves, Reinier De Ridder would certainly offer an interesting challenge to Khamzat Chimaev.
'The Dutch Knight' is perhaps best known for the entry he brings on the table, but he has also found great success with his striking, especially with the knees he has had a lot of effect in his recent outings.
Although De Ridder was very impressed by how dominant Chimaev was on Saturday evening, he still is still not sure whether 'Borz' was able to fully answer one of the biggest questions people had against the fight.
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His gas tank received a lot of praise after he had continuously protected Takedowns and had checked Drus Du Plessis on the ground, but his potential next challenger told Submission Radio that his cardio was never put to the test.
“It didn't really have anything to do with cardio. We saw that he was doing very well, but the thing is, you have to make someone tired. Dricus survived in the first two rounds, but that didn't get rid of Khamzat.”
Although we have become tired in fighting in the past, that has been a factor in matchups where he was unable to fully dictate where the competition took place.
De Ridder acknowledges that the new champion may have made a number of important improvements in this area in preparation for his title fight, but he is not yet ready to completely ignore this a factor.
“I think this was not the fight we see in. I think he should be tested a little more to be able to say more about how his cardio is like. But at least it looked decent and because of the control he received, it was very impressive.”
Reinier de Ridder was frustrated about some actions by Dricus du Plessis on UFC 319
The cardio of Khamzat Chimaev was not really put to the test, because when he brought down Dricus Du Plessis, it was incredibly difficult for the title defender to get up again.
Reinier de Ridder kept the problems with various aspects of the performance of the South African who did not benefit him when he tried to leave the fight.
“I was very frustrated that he went twice very sloppy before the guillotine. It is sometimes difficult to get out when someone is so on your back when they were against the wall, the sideways with the arms locked, but there are a few tricks that he could have done better there.”
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A crucial aspect of the matchup was Du Plessis's inability to escape from the Crucifix position, which De Ridder also found frustrating to look.
“He got stuck twice in that crucifix, after the first time I was like F – Man. Guy, don't put your hand there. Put your hand somewhere else, make frames. He actually kept Khamzat on him.”