Khamzat Chimaev tore the middleweight title away from Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319, dominating the South African for a decision win on Saturday.
The unbeaten Chimaev had been touted as one of the scariest prospects in mixed martial arts since his emphatic UFC debut in 2020, but illness and travel issues slowed the Russian’s march towards a title fight.
On Saturday (16 August), however, Chimaev finally got his shot, and his wrestling prowess was far too much for Du Plessis, who spent the vast majority of the five rounds – 25 minutes in all – on the canvas, trying to survive.
Chimaev, 31, scored a takedown within the first 10 seconds of the fight and succeeded with almost every subsequent takedown he tried. He secured crucifix position multiple times at Chicago’s United Center and fired off short punches, while in other moments he sought chokes and submissions.
Before almost every round, Du Plessis told his corner team, “I feel great,” and he even told them before the final round: “I’ve got this.” The spirited champion in fact ended the fight in an advantageous position, having stuffed a takedown and almost sealed a rear naked choke, but it was his only moment of success in the contest.
All three scorecards ultimately read 50-44 in Chimaev’s favour, as he ended Du Plessis’s title reign after two successful defences.
Du Plessis, 31, won the belt in early 2024 with a decision against Sean Strickland, before retaining it with a submission of ex-champion Israel Adesanya and another points victory over Strickland.
The South African had never been beaten in the UFC until Saturday. Meanwhile, Chimaev added to his wins over former champions Robert Whittaker and Kamaru Usman.
Earlier in the night, there were – remarkably – back-to-back spinning elbow knockouts, with Britian’s Lerone Murphy putting Aaron Pico out cold, and Carlos Prates stopping Geoff Neal in the same fashion.
Murphy’s win against the debuting Pico – previously a contender in Bellator – might have secured him a featherweight title shot, while Prates’s win saw him bounce back at welterweight after a loss last time out.
Also on the main card, Britain’s Michael “Venom” Page outpointed Jared Cannonier at middleweight, and former Rizin champion bantamweight Kai Asakura fell to 0-2 in the UFC, losing his flyweight clash against Tim Elliott by submission.
