Main Card (PPV)
- Khamzat Chimaev def. Dricus Du Plessis via Decision, Unanimous (UFC Middleweight Championship)
- Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:21)
- Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:59)
- Michael Page def. Jared Cannonier via Decision, Unanimous
- Tim Elliott def. Kai Asakura via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 2, 4:39)
Preliminary Card (ESPN / ESPN+)
- Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric Nolan via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 2:01)
- Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Gerald Meerschaert via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:03)
- Loopy Godinez def. Jessica Andrade via Decision, Unanimous
- Alexander Hernandez def. Chase Hooper via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:58)
Early Prelims (ESPN / ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
- Drakkar Klose def. Edson Barboza via Decision, Unanimous
- Karine Silva def. Dione Barbosa via Decision, Unanimous
- Joseph Morales def. Alibi Idiris via Submission, Triangle Choke (RD 2, 3:04) (The Ultimate Fighter Season 33 Flyweight Finals)
Khamzat Chimaev earned a scorecard shutout against UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis, putting on a 25-minute wrestling clinic to capture the title via unanimous decision.
Chimaev’s dominant showing headlined UFC 319, which took place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday night, marking the promotion’s first event in the major American sports city since 2019.
With a score of 50-44, meaning that Chimaev not only won each round but picked up one 10-8 frame in the eyes of the judges along the way, the Chechnyan-born middleweight controlled Du Plessis in a way rarely seen from a challenger in a championship fight.
Du Plessis had no answer for Chimaev’s takedown attempts, finding himself on the mat just seconds into each round of the fight. Chimaev had racked up nearly 19 minutes of control time in the first four rounds of the bout alone, per official UFC stats.
Chimaev chipped away at Du Plessis when on the ground, throwing short punches or connecting with elbows when available. These strikes would often come from a Crucifix position, which he obtained at three different points in the fight. While putting together over 500 significant strikes put him far ahead than the lack of work that Du Plessis had attained, it seemingly never put the defending champ at risk of getting finished.
After 20 minutes of one-sided action, Du Plessis showed some resistance in the final round. He was able to attempt a guillotine choke on the ground and score his one and only takedown in the fight, proving that he remained a willing competitor after finding little success earlier. However, work from Chimaev continued to persuade the judges late, giving him a clean scorecard win.
Undefeated 31-year-old Chimaev has long been pinned by many as a future champion in the UFC, although few could’ve expected the numerous setbacks he faced along the way.
A near-retirement in 2021 due to a bout with lingering COVID-19 symptoms, a disatrous weight cut in 2022 which forced him to permanently move up to 185 pounds, and a reported brief inability to enter the United States due to ties with Chechnyan dictator Ramzan Kadyrov all played a part in Chimaev’s rise to the top taking much longer than some might have imagined.
One-sided performances like what he displayed on Saturday are what put Chimaev on the map back in 2020, when he became one of the breakout stars of UFC’s pandemic era. His rookie year with the promotion featured three consecutive finish wins, including a pair of victories which emerged less than two weeks from eachother.
Chimaev became an undeniable challenger for the middleweight title after a pair of big wins over the past two years, beating former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman in 2023 and then scoring a first-round submission win against middleweight vet Robert Whittaker last October.
Du Plessis credited Chimaev for his smothering, “blanket”-like performance afterward: “It’s almost as if he knew what your next move was gonna be,” he reflected.
Du Plessis was hoping to defend his middleweight title for the third time with a successful performance over Chimaev.
After dethroning Sean Strickland in a close five-round split decision a year and a half ago, Du Plessis extended his reign by submitting ex-champ Israel Adesanya in 2023, then beating Strickland in a rematch earlier this year.
Many doubted the champ in the lead-up to the fight, including Vegas, with oddsmakers pinning him as a +200 underdog.
