Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis believes Khamzat Chimaev ‘lost his aura’ at UFC 328 after a bad weight cut.

Khamzat Chimaev was on the losing end of one of the biggest upsets in UFC history earlier this month at UFC 328 against Sean Strickland. In his first UFC middleweight title defense, Chimaev was outpointed by a split decision as Strickland reclaimed the throne in a five-round war.

Before the fight, Chimaev looked at an early disadvantage at Friday’s official weigh-in. He was the final fighter to successfully weigh in and looked drained and disoriented on the scale.

Chimaev’s teammate Arman Tsarukyan later admitted that Chimaev underwent a brutal weight cut for UFC 328 after initially preparing for a light heavyweight fight against Jiri Prochazka. According to Chimaev’s brother, the now-former middleweight champ’s body ‘almost shut down’ during the final hours of the weight cut.

Chimaev’s team called for an immediate rematch with Strickland after what they described as a brutal weight cut that impacted his performance. But according to Chimaev’s former rival, Dricus du Plessis, it isn’t a valid excuse.

Dricus du Plessis questions Khamzat Chimaev’s weight-cutting issues at UFC 328

In a recent interview on Fight Forecast, Du Plessis reacted to Chimaev’s weight-cutting issues and whether or not they contributed to his performance at UFC 328.

“I think this whole weight cut excuse is ridiculous, to be honest,” Du Plessis said of Chimaev.

“He said he cut 12 pounds in 24 hours? Those are rookie numbers. That’s not even that bad. And over the camp, it doesn’t matter. What matters is those last 24 hours and 12 pounds isn’t that much. I definitely cut more than that, and sometimes I’ve had bad weight cuts, too. 1 KG can make a world of difference in a weight cut. Using a weight cut as an excuse, when it comes to the fight, you don’t go out there and say ‘I lost the fight because of that’. No!

“If you want to change divisions, change divisions. But blaming a bad weight cut is like saying you lost the fight because you weren’t fit. It’s on you! Be more disciplined!” Du Plessis continued. “You made the decision to fight…be a man and take your loss like a man, there are no excuses. A lot of the aura was lost in that. Is it going to motivate him or break him? He doesn’t deserve a rematch, because he has no title defenses, zero.”

Du Plessis lost to Chimaev by unanimous decision at UFC 319 last year, as the previously unbeaten star won the UFC middleweight title. After UFC 319, Du Plessis and Chimaev could be on a collision course again, depending on the UFC’s plans for Strickland’s first title defense.

Do you think a rematch between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev is warranted after UFC 328? Let us know in the comments!