Dricus du Plessis endured a tough night at the office on Saturday but Dana White is confident that the now-former champion will rebound from his toughest career loss.

Du Plessis was soundly defeated by Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 319 main event in Chicago, surrendering his middleweight crown in the process as the judges delivered a stinging 50-44 verdict to the South African after the conclusion of the five round battle in which Chimaev scored 12 takedowns and a employed a UFC record three crucifix positions in the 25 minutes.

But speaking afterwards, White said that he thought the fight was an even more dominant one for Chimaev compared to the official tallies submitted by the cageside judges — but still reserved praise for Du Plessis’ toughness.

“First of all, I scored every round 10–8, maybe not the last one,” White said to reporers, including The Mac Life.

“To be in the position he was in — the crucifix, getting dominated on the ground, punched in the face, elbowed — it’s incredibly frustrating. But he handled it well. He came out every round still trying to win, still trying to get back in the fight. That’s impressive.

“Listen, I don’t know how hard those shots were, and I don’t want to know. Nobody wants to be stuck in a crucifix getting punched in the head like that. It’s got to be one of the most frustrating things that can happen — it just sucks the heart and soul out of you.”

“He was completely dominated on the ground. And it wasn’t just “pitter-patter” strikes –his face was busted up. Plus the knees to the body, the legs, the hips… It’s going to be a long flight home to South Africa.”

You can watch White’s full comments in the video above.