MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has given his thoughts on Khamzat Chimaev‘s critics following his win at UFC 319.
As we know, Khamzat Chimaev defeated Dricus du Plessis in dominant fashion in the main event of UFC 319. In doing so, he captured the UFC middleweight championship, using his superior wrestling to completely shut down anything that was coming back his way from DDP.
However, a lot of people weren’t big fans of Khamzat Chimaev’s approach to the fight. Many felt as if his wrestle-heavy style was too boring, and that it led to a disappointing bout when many were hoping for a real war between these elite middleweights.
In a recent video, Chael Sonnen gave his thoughts on those who didn’t particularly enjoy Khamzat Chimaev’s triumph.
Chael Sonnen questions Khamzat Chimaev’s critics
“You’re calling a fight dull and boring based on inactivity that literally set an activity record by almost double. I had 311 – that was the record. 527 is what came in.”
“There is a segment of our fan base that chose to call that fight boring. Now, you’re not wrong. You can’t be wrong. It’s an opinion… but the discussion has just gone from, ‘Hey, that match wasn’t as fun to watch,’ to, ‘We need a rule change. We need a rule change to bring these guys back up to their feet.’ And that’s where you’re jumping the shark. On that one, I must push back. You are going too far.”
UFC middleweight star Paulo Costa has given his thoughts on why, in his opinion, Khamzat Chimaev is bad for the sport of mixed martial arts.
Following his win over Roman Kopylov earlier this summer, Paulo Costa seems to have his eyes firmly set on the UFC middleweight championship. Of course, claiming that title is going to be easier said than done, especially when you consider the fact that the champion is Khamzat Chimaev.
The good news for Paulo Costa is that he has a built-in rivalry with Khamzat. These two men have gone back and forth on social media on many different occasions and also in interviews, and it certainly feels like they’re destined to collide at some point in the future.
In a recent interview, Paulo Costa gave his thoughts on Chimaev’s UFC 319 performance and his fight style as a whole.
Paulo Costa’s view on Khamzat Chimaev
“I’m impressed with how he holds on the ground, but I expected an exciting fight. I wasn’t expecting Dricus to be stuck in the crucifix like that for so long.”
“People don’t want to watch guys hugging for 25 minutes. This is not good for the sport. They need to put me in there against him.”
Chimaev will obviously be the favorite for a fight like this, but we may have to wait a bit longer before we see it. After all, Costa is behind a few others in the pecking order, and it feels like Khamzat’s focus right now is on Reinier de Ridder.
MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has an interesting view on those who are looking to submit Khamzat Chimaev in future fights.
Khamzat Chimaev is an incredibly intense wrestler and he’s someone who is willing to get in your face from the very first seconds of the fight. Someone who used to have a similar style back in the day was Chael Sonnen, who had great wrestling success against a lot of fighters.
Like Chael Sonnen, Khamzat Chimaev is a divisive figure within the mixed martial arts community – but after his title win over Dricus du Plessis, it definitely feels like the tide is slowly beginning to turn with more and more fans understanding the brilliance of ‘Borz’.
In a recent video, Chael Sonnen gave his thoughts on Khamzat Chimaev and what kind of strategy his opponents should have.
Chael Sonnen’s view on Khamzat Chimaev
“If you ever want a wrestler to stop taking you down, get up off the bottom. I don’t care if you’re fighting three rounds or five rounds. You get off the bottom three times, that wrestler will stop trying to take you down. There is nothing that will mentally get in a wrestler’s head more than him succeeding and not being able to be rewarded for it. The takedown is the single largest amount of energy exertion that is done in the sport of MMA and you must be able to keep a guy there.”
“Anybody that plans to go to their back and triangle choke Chimaev, you’re not doing yourself a service. Anybody that’s going to come out and tell the world, ‘I will submit you,’ not only won’t you, you will look like a fool. You got to get back to your feet.”
UFC star Reinier de Ridder is perfectly fine with being taken down by Khamzat Chimaev if the two end up fighting one another.
As we know, Reinier de Ridder is one of the most exciting middleweight contenders on the roster – and in all of mixed martial arts. He hasn’t wasted any time whatsoever in making his presence known in the division, and after beating Robert Whittaker, he has set himself up fora championship opportunity.
That fight will likely come against Khamzat Chimaev, who is the new UFC middleweight champion after he was able to dethrone Dricus du Plessis. He absolutely dominateed DDP from start to finish, and in doing so, gave other 185-pounders including Reinier de Ridder an idea of how not to approach a fight against ‘Borz’.
In a recent interview, Reinier de Ridder opened up on the idea of fighting Khamzat, and he seems pretty comfortable with every possible scenario.
Reinier de Ridder welcomes wrestling with Khamzat Chimaev
“I think I’m a very good, a very big challenge for him. I’m interested to see what happens in the fight, of course. But if I get taken down, perfect. If I take him down, perfect. If we’re still standing, also great. I think I have a good chance of doing well in this fight, and I really hope we can get it done.”
de Ridder is a very relaxed guy and it’ll be interesting to see what he’s like in the build-up to a fight against someone as intense as Chimaev.
UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev has made it crystal clear that he’s interested in fighting Reinier de Ridder in his next fight.
As we know, Khamzat Chimaev is the new king of the middleweight division. He earned that title by defeating and dominating Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319, and when we say dominate, we mean it. Now, all fans are focused on seeing what the UFC is going to do next with ‘Borz’ as he continues to cement himself as one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts.
There are plenty of exciting middleweight contenders out there for Khamzat Chimaev to face, and one of the leaders of the pack right now is Reinier de Ridder. He is fresh off of a huge win over Robert Whittaker, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the UFC book this kind of fight next.
In a recent exchange on X, Khamzat Chimaev and Reinier de Ridder certainly set the stage for their seemingly inevitable clash.
Chimaev: “I’m gonna make you look like white belt habibi [laughing faces]”
Khamzat is an absolute monster and you just know that he’s going to want to showcase his grappling prowess against de Ridder if given the opportunity to do so. Either way, though, the middleweight division is starting to look more exciting now than it has done in years. Buckle up, folks.
The latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the UFC rankings toward contention and others fall away.
And in the aftermath of Saturday’s UFC 319, MMA News has you covered with this week’s complete updates.
Men’s Pound-For-Pound: Following his middleweight title win at UFC 319, Khamzat Chimaev moves up ten spots to No. 4. The now-former champion, Dricus Du Plessis, falls seven spots to No. 11.
Alexandre Pantoja falls one spot to No. 5. Max Holloway, Belal Muhammad, and Arman Tsarukyan fall one spot to, respectively, Nos. 12-14.
Charles Oliveira has fallen off the list and is replaced at No. 15 at Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Women’s Pound-for-Pound: No changes.
Women’s Strawweight:
Women’s Flyweight: After her win at UFC 319, Karine Silva moves up one spot to No. 10, swapping places with Miranda Maverick (No. 11).
Women’s Bantamweight: No changes.
Flyweight: After his victory at UFC 319, Tim Elliott moves up one spot on the list to No. 10, swapping places with Steve Erceg (No. 11).
The man Elliott beat, Kai Asakura, is no longer ranked, replaced at No. 15 by Charles Johnson.
Bantamweight: No changes.
Featherweight: Following his win at UFC 319, Lerone Murphy moves up two spots to No. 4. Brian Ortega and Arnold Allen each drop a spot, moving down to No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.
Lightweight: Paddy Pimblett moves up two spots to No. 7. Mateusz Gamrot and Beneil Dariush each drop a spot to No. 8 and 9, respectively.
Joel Alvarez falls off the list and is replaced at No. 15 by Mauricio Ruffy.
Welterweight: Following his win at UFC 319, Carlos Prates moves up three spots to No. 9. Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns, and Geoff Neal all drop one spot each to, respectively, Nos. 10-12.
Also, after his second win at middleweight at UFC 319, Michael “Venom” Page has been removed from rankings eligibility at welterweight. As a result, Kevin Holland returns to the 170-pound rankings at No. 15.
Middleweight: With Chimaev taking the champion’s spot, Du Plessis falls to the No. 1 contender. As a result, Nassourdine Imavov and Sean Strickland fall one spot each to No. 2 and No. 3.
MVP debuts on this list at No. 10. The man he beat, Jared Cannonier, falls two spots to No. 11, while Brendan Allen moves up one spot to No. 9. Roman Dolidze, Paulo Costa, and Marvin Vettori all move down one spot to Nos. 12-14, respectively.
Additionally, Anthony Hernandez moves up one spot to No. 6, swapping places with Caio Borralho (No. 7).
Light Heavyweight: No changes.
Heavyweight: No changes.
This week’s new UFC rankings were first reported by John Morgan. UFC.com’s rankings section still to be updatedas of publication time.
Francis Ngannou has responded to Donn Davis’ discontentment surrounding the former’s lack of presence at PFL Africa events but ‘the Predator’ has his own grievances. Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, the lineal MMA heavyweight champion covered multiple topics including issues that he had with the presentation of the July 19th PFL Africa card that was headlined by Johnny Eblen taking on Costello Van Steenis for the middleweight belt.
Ngannou expressed issues with the earlier portion of the card receiving the PFL Africa branding while the main card was labelled Road to Dubai Champions Series. This perception of the PFL Africa brand not getting the predominant focus resulted in Ngannou not attending the card with PFL figurehead Donn Davis later mentioning his disappointment that the PFL Africa chairman was not in attendance.
While mentioning that he predominantly engages with Peter Murray and other PFL executives while quipping that he rarely speaks with Davis himself, Ngannou said,
“We have a good relationship with PFL; it’s just that sometimes things don’t run smoothly. Sometimes we don’t agree, but that’s how it works. It’s about making things right so that the vision can come together.”
“The problem is cultural. There’s a culture difference, and they are struggling to understand the African culture aspect of things. I have to make sure that is being considered.”
“I wasn’t very okay with the first PFL Africa event seeming to be like an undercard. I hope PFL Africa debut would have at least have its glory, its moment. That wasn’t my decision, and I wasn’t done for it, but I expressed my feeling to them.”
Francis Ngannou addresses his thoughts on the second PFL Africa card
Francis Ngannou was not happy with the July 19th card that also featured big names like Dakota Ditcheva but the August 9th PFL Africa card seemed to fit his vision of things with a predominant focus on African mixed martial artists. That being said, the former UFC heavyweight champion and current PFL champ also did not attend that sophomore PFL Africa card and when offering up his thoughts on the sophomore effort from this branch of PFL’s global expansion, Francis Ngannou stated [via MMA Junkie],
“Matter of circumstances, and again, we were still working on it. This is not the only event. PFL Africa is something that is made to be run forever. So, as we take the time that it takes to set things up right, then the company will run properly. So, I don’t have any problem with that. I don’t have any problem with going, as long as we get things right and feel comfortable. Because I’m going there, stepping forward, putting myself in line as a guarantee. So,at least I’m going to make sure I’m going to stand by what I’m saying.”
Absolutely brutal Question Mark kick in the second fight of PFL Africa 🤯#PFLAfrica
A crossover boxing bout between former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and YouTube sensation turned professional boxer Jake Paul is moving closer to reality, amid serious negotiations, as recent remarks from former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou suggest.
Anthony Joshua Vs. Jake Paul
PFL world champion, and veteran boxer, Ngannou recently stated, in an interview with Ariel Helwani: “Regarding the Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul fight, serious talks have happened. It seems crazy, but people want to see it.” This statement adds fuel to the growing buzz surrounding the potential fight.
Anthony Joshua, age 35, has a professional record of 28 wins and 4 losses, with 25 of those wins coming by knockout. Known for his Olympic gold medal from 2012 and his reign as a heavyweight champion, Joshua remains a top contender in boxing. His recent campaigns include a March 2024 second-round knockout win over Francis Ngannou and a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
Despite recent setbacks, Joshua retains high rankings globally in the heavyweight division, including No. 3 in the WBC and No. 5 in both The Ring and the IBF rankings. He does not currently have a scheduled fight but has been linked to potential opponents such as Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, and Andy Ruiz Jr.
Jake Paul, on the other hand, has carved out a unique niche in boxing since crossing over from his career as an influencer. As of mid-2025, Paul has fought 12 professional boxing matches, winning 11 and losing just once. Seven of his victories came by knockout. He has defeated a blend of retired MMA fighters and professional boxers and recently scored points victories against notable names like Mike Tyson in November 2024 and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in June 2025. Paul’s self-promotion and ability to draw large viewing numbers have made him one of the most commercially viable, albeit controversial, figures in combat sports.
Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has also publicly commented on the fight’s potential, describing it as a “very real” possibility with about a 50/50 chance of happening. Hearn highlighted ongoing positive discussions with Jake Paul’s team, with both camps reportedly aware of the crossover appeal the fight would generate. Hearn believes Paul is confident in his chances to be competitive or even win. Given Joshua’s status as a former world champion and Paul’s rising profile, the fight carries significant financial and promotional promise.
Ngannou, who himself recently fought Joshua and brought attention to the power each fighter possesses, shows the public’s fascination with the prospective bout. Though the fight may seem unexpected to some due to their very different backgrounds, Ngannou’s observes that “people want to see it.”
After about three years away from active combat competition, UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar is set to return on October 4 in a completely different environment.
Edgar will be moving from the gloves to his bare knuckles, signing with BKFC, per a report from Ariel Helwani.
Breaking:
Frankie Edgar is coming out of retirement.
Edgar will make his BKFC debut on Oct. 4 at the Prudential Center in Newark versus Jimmie Rivera, per sources, pending New Jersey State Athletic Control Board approval. pic.twitter.com/T1EUla5p5E
Pending an approval from the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, Edgar will reportedly make his BKFC debut on October 4 at BKFC 82, which takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey — Edgar’s home state.
His opponent will be fellow UFC veteran Jimmie Rivera.
Frankie Edgar vs. Jimmie Rivera Booked For BKFC 82
Edgar made his MMA debut in 2005, going on to sign with the UFC in 2007 and having a 15-year career with the promotion, competing in three weight classes and getting inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2024. His last fight came at UFC 281, where he was knocked out by Chris Gutierrez — Edgar’s third consecutive knockout loss.
Edgar defeated B.J. Penn in upset fashion at UFC 112 to become UFC lightweight champion. He’d retain the title in a rematch against Penn at UFC 118 before retaining in a pair of fights (the latter two in a trilogy) against Gray Maynard in 2011.
After dropping the title to Benson Henderson and losing a subsequent rematch, Edgar moved down to 145, unsuccessfully challenging for featherweight gold three times (twice undisputed, once interim), losing to Jose Aldo at UFC 156 and UFC 200 and to Max Holloway at UFC 240.
Edgar moved down to bantamweight in 2020, winning his division debut against Pedro Munhoz before the three-fight losing skid that ended his UFC tenure.
Rivera, who finished his MMA career 23-5, fought for the UFC between 2015 and 2021, going 7-4 in the promotion. Rivera has not fought in MMA since his last UFC bout — a loss to Munhoz at UFC Vegas 20.
Rivera signed with BKFC later that year, and he is 2-2-1 in the promotion thus far. Rivera most recently fought at BKFC Fight Night Montana in November, unsuccessfully challenging Kai Stewart for the BKFC featherweight title.
After suffering an injury in his last fight earlier this year, former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo will return to the Octagon on October 11, as he takes on Montel Jackson.
This will mark Figueiredo’s first fight since his loss to Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Des Moines. It was a fight in which the former flyweight champion suffered a knee injury in the bout’s conclusion.
Deiveson Figueiredo Returns To Action At UFC Rio
The man known as “Deus Da Guerra” moved up to bantamweight at the end of 2023, winning three straight before a pair of losses to former champion Petr Yan and Sandhagen, the latter of whom will be challenging for the gold at UFC 320. It’s the first time in Figueiredo’s career that he has suffered back-to-back losses.
Figueiredo is a former two-time UFC flyweight champion, having engaged in four wars with Brandon Moreno over the title, going 1-2-1 in the process during the legendary, praiseworthy rivalry.
Jackson has won six straight. He also competed at UFC Des Moines, scoring a decision win over Daniel Marcos.
UFC 319 is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed martial arts leader’s next pay-per-view offering, UFC 320 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The promotion was in Chicago last week, where the United Center played host to a number of intriguing matchups for its eighth numbered event of the year. Of note were headline wins for Khamzat Chimaev and Lerone Murphy, as well as important victories for Carlos Prates, Michael “Venom” Page, and Tim Elliott.
While the aftermath of the August 16 card is currently the talk of the town, it won’t be long until focus sways to the next PPV, and from the middleweight championship title picture to the light heavyweight and bantamweight championship conversations.
At UFC 320, which takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 4, Magomed Ankalaev will defend the UFC light heavyweight championship against Alex Pereira. This will be a rematch of their UFC 313 encounter in March, which saw Ankalaev pull off the upset by decision to become the new champion.
Anakalev is 12-0-1 (1 NC) since dropping his UFC debut. Pereira, who has held gold at both 185 and 205 in the UFC, won the light heavyweight title by defeating Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295. He then defended the belt against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300, Prochazka at UFC 303, and Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307.
Stakes will also be high in the co-main event, as the bantamweight championship will be on the line when Merab Dvalishvili defends against Cory Sandhagen. Dvalishvili won the title from Sean O’Malley at Noche UFC 2 (UFC 306) last September and has successfully retained against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 and O’Malley at UFC 316. A win against Sandhagen could solidify Fighter of the Year awards for him across MMA media — to add onto the ESPY he received last month. Sandhagen has won four of his last five, finishing Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Des Moines in May.
Prochazka, Rakic, Magomedov Set The Stage For Light Heavyweight Title Headliner At UFC 320
Before Ankalaev and Dvalishvili make their way out to defend their titles, several names will look to make their own statements on the main card for UFC 320.
This includes Jiri Prochazka, who will be doing battle with Khalil Rountree Jr. Prochazka, a former light heavyweight champion, rebounded from his second loss to Pereira with a first-round knockout of another former champion in Jamahal Hill at UFC 311. Rountree Jr. rebounded from his unsuccessful challenge of Pereira with a five-round domination of Hill at UFC Baku a couple of months ago.
Another light heavyweight contender in Aleksandar Rakic will also be in action, taking on Azamat Murzakamov. This bout was scheduled for UFC 321 later in October but has been pushed up. Rakic will be looking to snap a three-fight losing skid, most recently dropping a decision to Ankalaev at UFC 308. Murzakamov is a 15-0 up-and-comer who scored a finish of Brendson Ribeiro at UFC 316.
The main card is scheduled to open with Abus Magomedov taking on Joe Pyfer. Magomedov has won three straight, most recently scoring a decision over Michel Pereira at UFC Kansas City in April. Pyfer has won two straight and is 5-1 in the Octagon, most recently defeating Kelvin Gastelum by decision at UFC 316.
Those pairings have currently gotten the nod to feature on the main card over the likes of Patchy Mix, Edmen Shahbazyan, and Macy Chiasson, all of whom are expected to be featured players on the event’s preliminary card.
See below for the UFC 320 lineup, as it stands.
Main Card:
Light Heavyweight Championship: Magomed Ankalev vs. Alex Pereira
Bantamweight Championship: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen
Light Heavyweight: Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
Light Heavyweight: Aleksandar Rakic vs. Azamat Murzakamov
Middleweight: Abus Magomedov vs. Joe Pyfer
Preliminary Card (Order TBA):
Middleweight: Ateba Abega Gautier vs. Ozzy Diaz
Middleweight: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Muniz
Bantamweight: Patchy Mix vs. Jakub Wiklacz
Women’s Flyweight: Veronica Hardy vs. Brogan Walker
Bantamweight: Chris Gutierrez vs. Farid Basharat
Women’s Bantamweight: Macy Chiasson vs. Yana Santos
Welterweight: Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Austin Vanderford
Note: There will be no September UFC PPV. Noche UFC 3 on September 13 will be a UFC Fight Night event, which will serve as a lead-in for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford boxing card. Alvarez-Crawford will be the first major fight promoted by TKO Boxing, which includes UFC CEO & President Dana White.
Khamzat Chimaev had a historic night of dominance at UFC 319 and broke a record that was long held by Chael Sonnen and the latter has weighed in on that. In the process of unwresting the middleweight crown from Dricus du Plessis, Chimaev connected on over five hundred strikes against the South African combatant when they threw down in the Chicago main event.
This snapped a record that was long held by Chael Sonnen who connected on over three hundred strikes during his own middleweight title bid that took place against Anderson Silva years ago. Taking to his personal YouTube channel to touch on this accomplishment from ‘Borz’ and the massive output of Chimaev on Saturday night, Sonnen said,
“There was 537 strikes landed by Chimaev. Let me put that in perspective because I used to have the record. I had the record, and I crushed the record to win it, and I hit 311. 311 was the record. I know that for sure because I had it. He had 527 against 49 strikes. So it was 10-to-1, Chimaev. When you see something that incredibly dominant, and there was all sorts of judges throwing up 10-8 rounds tonight, I mean, this was one of the most lopsided victories in history for a world championship.”
Khamzat Chimaev wants a quick turn around for his next fight
Khamzat Chimaev does not exactly seem like the type to smell the roses as he has already indicated when he wants his next fight inside the cage. It makes sense in the context of Chimaev having inactivity issues over the years that were informed by travel related issues as well as bouts of illness.
The specific card that Khamzat Chimaev is looking to compete on is in Abu Dhabi with the 31-year-old eyeballing UFC 321 on October 25th. This card also features Tom Aspinall defending his heavyweight crown against Ciryl Gane and when Dana White was asked about of Chimaev could be booked for his first title defense on that card, the promotional figurehead did not shut down the idea outright.
Khamzat Chimaev had a history making performance against Dricus du Plessis but there was a certain aspect of the fight that seemed to be lacking a bit according to a former UFC title challenger.
During an appearance on Submission Radio, Hardy touched upon the pay-per-view main event in Chicago from over the weekend and largely indicated how impressed he was by this changing of the guard performance in the UFC’s 185 pound ranks.
The former UFC welterweight title challenger did seem to perceive that there was a bit of an uncharacteristic aspect to the 31-year-old phenom’s in-cage effort on Saturday as compared to some of Chimaev’s prior fights. In expressing what he saw take place in the du Plessis vs. Chimaev headliner at UFC 319, Dan Hardy said,
“He [Chimaev] was kind of tenderizing him and, you know, controlling him. It was impressive from a control perspective, don’t get me wrong. But, of course, you know, the main event of a pay-per-view, you kind of want to see a bit more intention to finish. That’s what I would like to have seen.”
“That’s what Khamzat’s been all about. That’s why people have been so excited about him because of how, you know, overly aggressive he is, like, violent. It’s scary to watch sometimes. That was just kind of, I don’t know, it seemed a bit of a safer performance. Maybe out of respect for Dricus and his strength and explosiveness and scrambling ability.”
Khamzat Chimaev’s performance assessed by surging middleweight contender who was cageside in Chicago
While some prospective title challengers might go a little quiet in the wake of such a dominant win by Khamzat Chimaev, someone who was cageside for the UFC 319 bout against Dricus du Plessis seems confident in navigating a path to victory against the newly minted champion. ‘Borz’ is looking to get back in the cage again at UFC 321 on October 25th in Abu Dhabi and a ranked middleweight who recently notched his own statement win is already envisioning how a Khamzat Chimaev fight plays out down the line.
Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez secured his eighth win in a row in what was a pressure heavy, dominant performance against Roman Dolidze when he notched a fourth round submission. During an interview with ESPNDeportes touching on what he saw while sitting front row cageside at UFC 319 and what he sees transpiring going forward, Anthony Hernandez said [via Bloody Elbow],
“Congratulations to him, it was a pretty f***ing boring fight, not gonna lie, but man call me for the fight, I can wrestle, I can do jiu-jitsu, I can stop all the s**t and I can shut him down and with my gas tank man, I’ll drown him, I promise.”
Anthony Hernández thinks he can shut down Khamzat Chimaev: "I can wrestle I can do jiujitsu I can stop all the shit. Call me fot the fight"
The UFC’s long-awaited return to Chicago finally happened on August 16, as the promotion held UFC 319 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, featuring a highly-hyped main event.
It was the UFC’s first venture to the Windy City since 2019, when the promotion held UFC 238 in June of that year. That night saw Henry Cejudo become the third champ-champ in UFC history by defeating Marlon Moraes for the bantamweight title, as well as Valentina Shevchenko’s scary knockout of Jessica Eye to retain the women’s flyweight title.
The main event of UFC 319 saw the middleweight title on the line when Dricus Du Plessis defended the gold against Khamzat Chimaev. Du Plessis originally won the belt by defeating Sean Strickland at UFC 297 and retained against Israel Adesanya and Strickland, respectively, at UFC 305 and UFC 312. The undefeated Chimaev earned the title shot with a violent finish of another former champion, Robert Whittaker, at UFC 308.
The co-main event featured unbeaten featherweight contender Lerone Murphy in action, as he welcomed former Bellator top prospect Aaron Pico to the Octagon.
Who showed up in Chicago? Who missed the mark? Let’s find out in this edition of Hits and Misses for UFC 319!
Hit – Alexander Hernandez Does Indeed Do Great
The intention may have been to use Alexander Hernandez as another name for Chase Hooper to put away on his path toward becoming the breakout star some would hope he’d become. “The Great” stopped that in its tracks for now.
Hooper had a notable reach advantage and used that early on. But Hernandez worked his boxing, and his hands ended becoming the difference in this outing. Hernandez landed a right hand just before the horn that dropped Hooper, and he’d put the young star away with seconds remaining in the first round.
That’s now three straight wins for Hernandez since returning to lightweight last year, and he might be a win away from facing a lightweight contender. As far as Hooper goes, this isn’t the end, as he’s only 25, had a win streak coming into this contest, and is still developing.
Hit – Fighting Nerd Michal Oleksiejczuk Is Different
Sometimes a change of camp really does something to a fighter, and perhaps there’s no better example of late than with Michal Oleksiejczuk’s move to the Fighting Nerds.
Facing Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 319, Oleksiejczuk consistently stopped Meerschaert’s attempts to take the fight to the ground. That would have put the outing in Meerschaert’s world, and instead, Oleksiejczuk kept the fight in his and made Meerschaert pay.
Oleksiejczuk scored a pair of knockdowns before blasting Meerschaert away with ground-and-pound until the ref stopped the fight.
MOST 1ST-ROUND KNOCKOUTS – UFC History 11 – Vitor Belfort 09 – Anthony Johnson 08 – Michal Oleksiejczuk#UFC319pic.twitter.com/nunUEUzO8B
This is the second straight first-round finish for Oleksiejczuk, following his first-round finish of Sedriques Dumas at UFC 314. Oleksiejczuk feels like a reborn fighter since moving to the Fighting Nerds, and a third finish in a row his next time out would just put a stamp on that.
Miss – “Baysangur Susurkaev!” & The Silence Of Chicago
Let’s start by saying this — Baysangur Susurkaev deserves all the credit in the world for taking a Dana White’s Contender Series fight on a week’s notice, winning that, turning around four days later for his UFC debut and scoring a finish. That’s not my issue.
My issue is that more credit needs to be given to Eric Nolan — because Susurkaev left a performance that leaves much to be desired.
Susurkaev tried to pressure Nolan during the opening round, only for Nolan to work his hands and rock Susurkaev in the closing seconds of the round. In fact, had there been more time, Nolan could have gotten a finish. Susurkaev worked over Nolan’s legs in the second, and when the former CFFC welterweight champion tried to take the fight to the mat, Susurkaev made him pay and took his back, scoring the submission.
And while it’s good to have confidence, Susurkaev went on to say he’d be willing to fight again in a few weeks and tried to lead a chant of his name with the Chicago crowd…it failed spectacularly.
The feat itself is phenomenal, but I need to see more from Susurkaev before I can call him something special.
Hit – Tim Elliott Gives “Age Is Only A Number” A Supporting Argument
You may not see Tim Elliott challenging for a flyweight title soon, if ever again. That might be a miracle. But what he did at UFC 319 against Kai Asakura cannot be denied.
Asakura’s footwork helped give him an edge early on in the fight, allowing him to connect a number of times on Elliott. While Asakura had the edge for about four minutes, Elliott took him down in the final minute of the first and didn’t look back. In the second, he’d score another takedown and worked top position until he was able to score a submission via choke.
Elliott has now won four of his last five, though this marked his first fight since December 2023. Again, it may take a miracle for Elliott to blow up the flyweight rankings and get his way into a title shot. But this win has shown he’s a tough competitor who up-and-comers may have to go through just to get into the contender scene.
Hit – MVP: Same Ol’ Antics & Fighting Style
Vintage Michael “Venom” Page. That’s the best way to describe his victory over Jared Cannonier at UFC 319.
MVP stayed on the outside to start the opening round, nullifying Cannonier’s attempts to come inside and landing on Cannonier from range. He taunted throughout the fight, daring Cannonier to try and get him, only to make Cannonier miss and land on him. MVP also knocked Cannonier down a couple of times during the fight. And even when Cannonier got him down in the third, he wasn’t able to do much with it and couldn’t get the finish, which resulted in a decision win for Page.
After the way he looked against a former middleweight title challenger, and looking at MVP’s run in the UFC so far, it would benefit the Bellator veteran more to stay at 185.
Hit – Carlos Prates Makes Chicago Come Unglued…
What else needs to be said? It was one of the best knockouts 2025 has delivered and then some.
While Geoff Neal looked to be aggressive and come out strong, his single-shotted efforts proved to be no match in the long run for the game Carlos Prates was playing. Prates aimed low with kicks and picked up his output over the course of the fight’s near five minutes.
And then, right before the horn, WHAM! One of the most vicious elbows ever delivered in this sport, bringing everyone to their feet, jaw-dropped or roaring with cheers.
Carlos Prates scores the 9th spinning back elbow knockout in UFC history. It's his 5th UFC knockout, most in the UFC since 2024.
This is how you rebound following the loss to Ian Machado Garry. This is how you gain yet another Performance of the Night bonus. And this is how you make your mark and say, “I’m right in the middle of this welterweight title picture.”
Hit – …And Then Lerone Murphy Delivers An Encore
Second verse, same as the first, right? A spinning elbow KO is rare enough in the UFC, but then we saw two in a row.
Lerone Murphy pulled off the highlight to give Aaron Pico a rude awakening (or in this case, “sleepening”…I know it’s not a word) into the UFC. In something that has been a repeat of some of Pico’s other losses in his career, Pico got too careless and aggressive with his striking, and Murphy took advantage. Murphy picked up on Pico’s forward pressure motions and used a spinning elbow to drop him out cold in vicious fashion.
Murphy is undefeated, and the only time he didn’t win a fight was when he fought to a draw in his UFC debut. “The Miracle” finally, however, got a highlight that stamped a statement for a title shot — and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski seemed to be listening, posting “See you in December” after the fight. Perhaps Murphy has now found a way to jump Movsar Evloev for the next crack at the 145-pound title.
Miss – Names From Outside The UFC Aren’t Delivering
I was watching a YouTube video in the immediate aftermath of the fight from someone I really respect in the MMA media landscape, James Lynch, talking about whose stock has risen and fallen the most following UFC 319. And he had an interesting take in that, instead of picking Dricus Du Plessis or Aaron Pico, he selected Kai Asakura for the fact he’s now 0-2 since coming over from RIZIN and just lost to an elder stateman of the flyweight division.
And the more I think about it, the more he’s right. And that combined with the Pico loss, despite some wild takes in the MMA community over the past week, is why I’m putting this “miss” here and combining Asakura, Pico, Patchy Mix, and even Patricio Pitbull.
Of late, these names have all been fighters once prominent in other promotions, who have just not delivered when it comes to their time in the UFC thus far. For Asakura to lose to the defending champ in his debut is one thing, getting finished by Tim Elliott (no disrespect to him whatsoever) is another. People raved about Pico despite his track record, his UFC opponent, and the lack of success of some of his Bellator precedents. Look what happened.
Then there’s Patchy Mix, who looked awful in his UFC debut against Mario Bautista a couple of months ago. Patricio Pitbull might be a case of “came over too late,” but it’s undeniable his 1-1 start in the UFC, and how he’s performed in both fights, leaves a lot to be desired. Obviously, there are exceptions (look at Michael Chandler and Michael “Venom” Page), but the recent track sheet of guys coming over to the UFC from other promotions has not been great.
And now Pitbull and Mix are being paired against two other names from other promotions, respectively in former two-division Oktagon champion Losene Keita and former KSW champion Jakub Wiklacz. And the thing is, the UFC has no big loss either way with fighters they bring from other promotions. Win and they can consider you a top name and put promotion behind you. Lose? “Well these other promotions aren’t the UFC.”
Takedown, takedown, takedown was the strategy. And the belief was that the longer the fight went on, the more it’d favor Du Plessis. There were plenty of questions about Chimaev’s gas tank and how he would handle the wild, unorthodox nature of DDP’s fighting style.
He answered those questions and then some with an absolutely dominating performance. In fact, the last time a challenger had this much of a one-sided beating of a defending champion for as long as Chimaev did, you’d have to go back to Kamaru Usman beating the breaks off Tyron Woodley to dethrone him of the welterweight title at UFC 235. If were talking title fights in general, then perhaps the beatdown Amanda Nunes put on Felicia Spencer at UFC 250.
So what’s next for Chimaev? Despite not fighting more than once a year since 2020, he’s being very open about a desire to turn around on short fashion and defend the belt in Abu Dhabi at UFC 321. Is there anyone who seems to be willing to step up and try to match his style and beat him? Reinier de Ridder is raising his hand. But after all this time he’s spent on the sidelines with the Jon Jones situation, you can’t just move heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall down from the main event, right?…Right?
Miss – A Disappointing Ending To DDP’s Run
As someone who has ridden the DDP hype train since 2016, it’s crazy that the minute everyone starts to believe in his style, along comes Khamzat Chimaev to end the run in one of the most spectacular fashions.
The man simply had no answers on the mat. He just couldn’t figure out how to get away from Chimaev’s wrestling. The pressure Chimaev put on was just too much; and it’s honestly kind of a shock Chimaev either didn’t get the finish or have scorecards that were like 50-43 or 50-42.
And it’s a shame. Du Plessis solidified himself as one of the most entertaining fighters at 185 in the UFC. He made a name for himself proving people wrong; and this time he just couldn’t. And unfortunately, it means he isn’t getting a rematch anytime soon. And you have to wonder what is next for him considering he’s beaten Sean Strickland twice, and Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker once.
Perhaps Reinier de Ridder is next if the UFC isn’t ready to give RDR the title shot? Or maybe DDP can face Nassourdine Imavov or rematch with Adesanya?
Miss – Chicago Turns On Chimaev
Finally, I have to call this out. It goes beyond Chicago and into the toxicity that is the MMA online community, but Chicago really proved to show the hypocrisy in fans.
If you heard the kind of crowd Chicago was this week, it seemed like a massive W. People were wild and crazy, and it seemed most of the crowd put their support behind Chimaev. They were nuts for him during the pre-fight press conference and the ceremonial weigh-ins.
Then the fight happened. And the longer it went, the more boos rang down. Even when the man got the gold strapped around him, something most in Chicago wanted to happen, the reaction was a lot tamer by comparison.
Absolutely DOMINANT performance from @KChimaev tonight 👏
Look, it wasn’t the most entertaining fight and plenty of people are disappointed there wasn’t a finish. There is no doubt about it. But you can’t take away from the fact it was one of the most dominant performances ever in a UFC title fight — and that is an accomplishment in its own right.
Georges St. Pierre didn’t finish every fight, but he put on excellent, dominating performances. Khabib Nurmagomedov didn’t finish every fight, but he put on excellent, dominating performances. Amanda Nunes didn’t finish every fight, but he put on excellent, dominating performances.
Criticizing the fight does not mean someone is anti-Chimaev or making disparaging remarks about him and his background, and it doesn’t mean that someone is a “casual.” It can simply be journalistic or expert commentary. At the same time, if someone is praising the performance of Chimaev, it doesn’t mean they are crazy.
How is it that both things can’t be true? It wasn’t a great fight from the entertainment value perspective, but it did leave a significant moment in its own way.
Maybe the next time UFC hypes up a big main event fight, we as fans and pundits take more of a cautious approach when looking at it.
UFC boss Dana White has explained why Khamzat Chimaev has been able to become a big star in the wake of his win at UFC 319.
We all know that Dana White enjoys when he has big names doing big numbers on the UFC roster. Of course, it’s not quite as important as it was prior to the ESPN deal which made the company lots of money regardless, but it’s still important. Khamzat Chimaev certainly feels like the next fighter who has reached that position after he dominated Dricus du Plessis on Saturday night to become the new UFC middleweight champion.
Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see how Dana White and the matchmakers decide to book Khamzat. There are plenty of options out there for him in multiple weight classes, but given his tendency to be inactive, you’d have to wonder whether or not they’ll push for him to get back in there a bit more frequently.
In his post-fight press conference, Dana White spoke openly about the star power that Khamzat Chimaev now has in mixed martial arts.
Dana White praises Khamzat Chimaev after UFC 319
“Yeah. I mean, he’s a big star now. When you’re asking me, you’re saying how much bigger can he be? I don’t know. We’ll see. But he’s already a big star. Everything about this fight was big—from pay-per-view to all the numbers that we were looking at and just being here in Chicago… The last three days here felt big. He—tonight in the arena—the arena was insane. Yeah, he’s a star.”
UFC star Michael Page, aka MVP, is happy to have proven many of his doubters wrong in the wake of critics thinking that he’d fail when getting to the promotion.
On Saturday night at UFC 319, Michael Page defeated Jared Cannonier to take his middleweight run in the company to 2-0 – and his overall record to 3-1. In summary, at the age of 38, MVP has gone above any beyond what many expected of him. You could even make the argument that he’s just one big win away from a title shot in either division, which is a testament to the longevity that he’s had in combat sports.
Of course, Michael Page himself has acknowledged that he’s a bit confused at where he stands right now, but he certainly has the style necessary to cause a lot of people problems – in a similar manner to how Stephen Thompson did during his prime. For now, all we can do is sit back and wait to see what he does next as he continues to try and be as active as possible.
In his post-fight press conference, Michael Page was more than happy to talk about how he feels to have proven people wrong at this point in his career.
Michael Page is happy to prove critics wrong
“I’ve been criticized my whole career from my first fight, my whole time through Bellator, and the question mark and the criticism was he can’t do that in the UFC. And I’ve come and I’ve proved everybody wrong.”
UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev has laughed off Sean Strickland in the wake of his title win at UFC 319.
As we know, Khamzat Chimaev is an absolute monster – and he’s also the new king of the middleweight division. He was able to achieve that goal by dominating Dricus du Plessis from beginning to end in the main event of UFC 319, and now, he’s ready to become one of the biggest stars in the entire sport of mixed martial arts.
Sean Strickland, meanwhile, is a former champion in his own right. He’s also been an outspoken critic of Khamzat Chimaev for a while now, to the point where he even predicted that Dricus du Plessis would win at UFC 319. Of course, he was proven wrong.
In a recent interview, Khamzat Chimaev gave his thoughts on Sean Strickland’s criticism.
Khamzat Chimaev laughs off Sean Strickland
“We could take him down many times, but how can he take me down? Come on. This guy, I beat him everywhere – in striking. But this guy just talks too much. So, he’s a funny guy.”
Chimaev has always been the kind of guy who is willing to take on any challenger, so who knows – maybe Strickland will be able to earn a title shot with another victory.
Even if he doesn’t, we can’t imagine that he’ll stop throwing shots in the direction of Khamzat anytime soon in the midst of what is quickly becoming one of the most exciting divisions in the sport.
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has given his thoughts on Aaron Pico‘s nasty knockout defeat in the co-main event of UFC 319 last weekend.
On Saturday night, Aaron Pico walked right into trouble against Lerone Murphy. While he may have had a positive start to the first round of their encounter in Chicago, things fell apart pretty quickly. He was being quite aggressive in pursuit of his shots and his takedowns, and ultimately, that cost him the fight as a spinning elbow knocked him out cold.
Aaron Pico was out like a light for quite some time, causing a great deal of concern from mixed martial arts fans and pundits alike. Thankfully, he eventually got back to his feet, as Murphy prepares to move on to a UFC featherweight championship fight against Alexander Volkanovski at the end of the year.
In the immediate aftermath of the event, Daniel Cormier weighed in on what it was like to see Pico go through that kind of loss.
Daniel Cormier describes the scary aftermath of Aaron Pico’s spinning elbow KO loss. 😱😲
"His teeth were clenched together, they couldn’t get the mouthguard out. That’s very concerning for Aaron Pico. He’s gotten knocked out really bad."
“I’m a wrestler, I’ve known Aaron Pico since he was a little boy. That was a bad knockout. His teeth were clenched together, they couldn’t get the mouthguard out. That’s very concerning for Aaron Pico. He’s been knocked out now multiple times, and when he’s gotten knocked out, he’s gotten knocked out really bad.
“So, a little concerned on the Pico side. But, hats off to Lerone Murphy for coming through in his biggest spot ever.”
Fans slamming Khamzat Chimaev’s latest performance might just be showing they don’t truly understand MMA, at least in the eyes of a former champion.
Last weekend, in the main event of UFC 319 at Chicago’s United Center, Chimaev fulfilled his long-awaited dream of becoming UFC middleweight champion, dominating Dricus du Plessis en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Absolutely DOMINANT performance from @KChimaev tonight 👏
Right out of the gate, “Borz” wasted no time dragging Du Plessis to the canvas, where he smothered him with unrelenting pressure for nearly the entire contest. Chimaev dictated the pace with chain wrestling and suffocating top control, converting 12 of 17 takedown attempts and racking up an astonishing 529 total strikes that left the defending champion stuck on the defensive.
Despite his dominance, the undefeated Russian rarely threatened a finish, with most of his offense coming as steady ground strikes rather than fight-ending blows. Even so, the sheer volume and control left “Stillknocks” little chance to respond, and by the end of five lopsided rounds, the judges awarded Khamzat Chimaev a 50-44 unanimous decision.
Robert Whittaker Slams Fans Who Dismissed Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 319 Performance
During a recent episode of the MMArcade Podcast, Robert Whittaker weighed in on Khamzat Chimaev’s authoritative performance against Dricus Du Plessis, which crowned him the new middleweight champion at UFC 319.
The former UFC 185-pound titleholder voiced strong disapproval of fans who dismissed Chimaev’s grappling-heavy approach, insisting that anyone who downplays “Borz’s” ability to dominate a fighter of Du Plessis’ caliber for the full 25 minutes simply doesn’t understand the magnitude of his control.
“Anyone that says it’s a boring fight is a casual,” Whittaker said. “If you’re a fan of the sport and you’re not fascinated by Chimaev’s ability to control someone as dogged as Dricus, who’s gotten out of things time and time again, who physically never gasses, super strong, has cardio for days, if you’re not fascinated by such one-sided domination, then you have to be a casual. You never see this level at a championship fight, this level of control. We just saw someone get crucifixed for 15 minutes. How can you be a fan of the sport and not think, ‘wow, that’s crazy?‘”
With this victory, Khamzat Chimaev has extended his undefeated streak to 15, including notable wins over the likes of Whittaker, Kamaru Usman, and Gilbert Burns.
UFC commentator Michael Bisping has declared that the age of Khamzat Chimaev has officially begun following UFC 319.
Last Saturday night, Khamzat Chimaev finally reached the top of the mountain. He was able to dominate and defeat Dricus du Plessis to capture the UFC middleweight championship. In doing so, he won UFC gold for the first time, which is something that many have expected of him ever since he first debuted in the promotion.
Chimaev becoming a UFC champion isn’t exactly surprising to those who have seen his rise to prominence. He’s been able to defeat a plethora of top stars en route to winning the big one, and as we look ahead to the future, it’s hard to picture a world in which someone beats him for the title.
In a review of the event, Michael Bisping had the following to say about Khamzat Chimaev’s victory.
Michael Bisping believes the era of Khamzat Chimaev has begun
“If you ask me, because DDP is just so crazy and so unorthodox, I was on the edge of my seat because I was just wondering if he’d be able to turn it around. And in the fifth, it looked for a brief second like he might, but no – it was never to be. How do you not respect that kind of brilliance? How do you not respect that kind of dominance? How do you not respect that kind of power? Khamzat Chimaev has it all. And now, officially, the Khamzat Chimaev era begins.”
Aaron Pico has already set his sights beyond the sting of his devastating defeat.
This past Saturday at the United Center in Chicago, Pico’s Octagon debut was derailed in brutal fashion, as undefeated featherweight Lerone Murphy sealed a stunning first-round knockout in the UFC 319 co-main event.
Pico came out aggressive from the opening bell, pressing Murphy with sharp punches and heavy pressure. He mixed in a clinch and even tested his wrestling, but Murphy stayed composed, breaking free and firing back with clean shots, including a sharp knee to the body.
Moments later, “The Miracle” unleashed a thunderous spinning elbow that crashed flush on Pico’s chin, instantly folding the UFC newcomer. As the 28-year-old Californian hit the canvas motionless, Murphy added a single follow-up strike before the referee intervened, sealing one of the night’s most spectacular finishes.
Image: @ufc/X
Aaron Pico Promises Bounce Back After UFC 319 Knockout Loss
Aaron Pico entered 2025 as one of the UFC’s most hyped newcomers, but his dream debut ended abruptly when Lerone Murphy floored him with a highlight-reel knockout.
The featherweight hopeful addressed the setback on social media on Sunday, assuring fans of his health while promising that the lessons learned from defeat would fuel his return as a stronger, more prepared fighter.
“Last night wasn’t my night, that’s the fight game,” Aaron Pico posted on Instagram. “I’m grateful for my team, my family, and everyone who continues to support me. The supporters that have been there from day one and my new supporters, I see you! Thank you.
“Wins and losses both teach lessons and I’ll come back sharper, stronger, and better prepared. Thank you all who have sent messages and checked in, my health is well. Thanks for riding with me. My story is not over.”
he defeat drops Pico to 13-5 in his professional career, with 11 of those victories coming by way of finish, all secured during his run under the Bellator MMA banner.
Ryan Garcia appears less than impressed with the action at UFC 319.
UFC 319, one of the year’s most anticipated pay-per-view cards, went down this past Saturday at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The event delivered fireworks, with three main card finishes, including back-to-back first-round spinning back elbow knockouts.
First, Carlos Prates flattened Geoff Neal in highlight-reel fashion, before Lerone Murphy derailed Aaron Pico’s Octagon debut in the very next fight.
The main event saw Khamzat Chimaev dethrone middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis via unanimous decision in what was arguably one of the most dominant title fight performances in recent memory.
“Borz” racked up over 21 minutes of control time, landed 12 takedowns, and piled on 529 total strikes. However, the win elicited a divided response from fans, as Chimaev’s dominance lacked the threat of a finish or any truly fight-ending offense.
Image: @ufc/X
Garcia seemed to be among those left underwhelmed by the UFC 319 headliner, suggesting it failed to live up to the hype. The former interim WBC lightweight champion took to social media, where he did not specify the bout but implied his disappointment with the card, with many assuming he was referring to the main event.
“UFC lowkey boring, at least this fight,” Garcia wrote on X.
MMA Fans Rip Ryan Garcia For Hinting UFC 319 Main Event Lacked Excitement
Ryan Garcia’s post suggesting he found the UFC 319 main event dull quickly drew the ire of MMA fans, who wasted no time firing back at “KingRy”.
Many pointed to his own underwhelming performance against Rolando Romero, while others reignited the age-old debate of MMA’s superiority over boxing when it comes to delivering excitement.
Joe Rogan has a contender in mind he believes could pose a serious challenge to Khamzat Chimaev’s title reign.
On Saturday night at Chicago’s United Center, Chimaev extended his undefeated streak with a commanding performance, claiming the UFC middleweight title by defeating Dricus Du Plessis via unanimous decision in the UFC 319 main event.
From the opening bell, “Borz” took control, swiftly bringing Du Plessis to the mat and keeping him there throughout the majority of the bout. That relentless pressure set the tone for the fight, as Chimaev dominated “Stillknocks” across all five rounds, converting 12 of 17 takedown attempts and leaving his opponent virtually powerless to launch any offense.
While Chimaev controlled the bout from start to finish, he seldom threatened Du Plessis with a fight-ending finish. His ground strikes, though not overly damaging, kept Du Plessis from mounting any meaningful offense. Still, it hardly mattered, as Chimaev’s total domination and superior grappling were enough to convince all three judges, who scored the bout 50-44 in favor of the undefeated Russian.
Khamzat Chimaev is arguably one of the most dominant fighters in modern UFC, but Rogan believes there’s someone in the 185-pound division who could challenge his supremacy.
Image: @UFCEurope/X
Joe Rogan Suggests Reinier de Ridder Could Test Khamzat Chimaev
Following the UFC 319 main event, Joe Rogan, alongside fellow commentators Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik, analyzed Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant performance and his looming reign over the division. Rogan highlighted rising contender Reinier de Ridder as a complete fighter who could potentially pose a serious challenge to “Borz”.
“Reinier de Ridder in particular, given his ability to grapple on the ground and also his ability to land shots standing,” Rogan said. “His toughness, his experience. He throws those combinations with that long lead-in knee. He’s interesting.”
“RDR” is coming off a split-decision victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi last month. The former two-division ONE Fighting champion remains undefeated in the UFC with a 4-0 record, including impressive finishes over Kevin Holland and Bo Nickal.
Meanwhile, Chimaev has stretched his perfect record to 15-0, including a 9-0 mark in the UFC, with 12 of those victories coming by stoppage.
Dricus Du Plessis receives an encouraging message from his fiancée after his recent loss.
On Saturday night at Chicago’s United Center, Du Plessis dropped his middleweight title after a lopsided unanimous decision defeat to Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 319 main event.
Absolutely DOMINANT performance from @KChimaev tonight 👏
The fight unfolded as expected, with Chimaev immediately asserting his dominance by taking Du Plessis down and keeping him grounded throughout the first round. That approach defined the bout, as “Borz” repeatedly controlled the South African on the canvas over five rounds, landing 12 of 17 takedowns and leaving Du Plessis little room to mount any offense.
On the ground, Chimaev moved Du Plessis across the Octagon at will, landing ground strikes that, while not heavily damaging, prevented any meaningful counterattack. It wasn’t until the fifth round that “Stillknocks” found a brief spark with his striking, landing some clean shots, but it was too late to turn the tide. The judges unanimously scored the fight 50-44, handing Chimaev a dominant win and crowning him the new UFC middleweight champion.
In the wake of his loss, Dricus Du Plessis finds comfort and encouragement from his closest loved ones.
Image: @ufc/X
Vasti Spiller Pens Supportive Message After Dricus Du Plessis’ Title Loss At UFC 319
After his tough defeat at UFC 319, Dricus Du Plessis’ fiancée, Vasti Spiller, turned to social media to send an uplifting message to “Stillknocks,” proving she remains a constant pillar of support in his life.
“My world. This is just the beginning,” Spiller posted on Instagram.
This defeat marked Du Plessis’ first loss in the UFC since his debut in October 2020. Before that, “Stillknocks” hadn’t experienced defeat since October 2018 at KSW 45, where he suffered a third-round TKO at the hands of Roberto Soldić.
The 31-year-old South African captured the UFC middleweight title in January 2024, defeating Sean Strickland via split decision at UFC 297. He then successfully defended his belt twice, first against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 and later in a rematch with Strickland at UFC 312.
Khamzat Chimaev has put on one of the most dominant displays in the history of UFC title fights, completing blanking Dricus Du Plessis over five rounds to claim the UFC middleweight championship in the UFC 319 main event.
Mere seconds into the fight, Chimaev level changed and scored a takedown. DDP attempted to get an arm around Chimaev but was forced to release. Chimaev got Du Plessis in a crucifix, landing short punches around the head of the trapped defending champion. Chimaev continued to work DDP over in top position for most of the round, until Du Plessis got back to his feet in the final 20 seconds. Du Plessis went for another guillotine but was unsuccessful.
Chimaev scored another takedown seconds into the second round, getting right into back control and maintaining it despite Du Plessis’ attempts to shake him off. Du Plessis got to the fence, but Chimaev continued to smother him with pressure, nearly locking in a rear-naked choke at one point.
The process continued in the third round, where Chimaev wrapped DDP up in another crucifix and landed more short shots. Du Plessis avoided the first takedown attempt in the fourth round, but Chimaev was right back to work with another successful takedown seconds later. Chimaev dominated through back and side control during the fourth.
Du Plessis tried to bring out strong strikes in the fifth round, and even through in a guillotine attempt, but it all was for naught.
Khamzat Chimaev Defeats Dricus Du Plessis To Become UFC Middleweight Champion At UFC 319
Chimaev now improves to 15-0 in MMA and completes the destiny that seemed set for him when he made his Octagon debut in July 2020. Chimaev earned the title shot with a submission of Robert Whittaker at UFC 308.
Du Plessis had won the middleweight title with a decision over Sean Strickland at UFC 297. He retained the belt against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 and in a rematch with Strickland at UFC 312.
