Khamzat Chimaev was unstoppable, using his wrestling, pressure and ground dominance to control Dricus du Plessis from start to finish, round after round in UFC 319. Chimaev smothers Du Plessis to claim title via unanimous decision.
On Saturday, August 16, 2025, the United Center in Chicago transforms into the battleground for UFC 319. The main event showcased a clash between Du Plessis’s seasoned experience and Chimaev’s explosive aggression.
Du Plessis entered the Octagon with a 23–2 record, having recently secured victories over top contenders. He defeated Sean Strickland by unanimous decision at UFC 312 in February 2025, marking his second successful title defense .His previous defenses included a submission win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in August 2024 and a split decision over Strickland at UFC 297 in January 2024.
Chimaev, on the other hand, entered the fight with an undefeated 14–0 record, having recently secured a dominant first-round submission victory over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. This performance was widely regarded as one of the most impressive in his career, showcasing his elite grappling and relentless pressure. In the co-main event of UFC 308, Chimaev wasted no time, taking Whittaker down within the first 15 seconds of the bout and maintaining control throughout. He applied a face crank submission at 3:34 of Round 1, forcing Whittaker to tap out. The submission caused significant damage to Whittaker’s jaw,
The two touched gloves and wasted no time in exchanging punches. As soon as the fight began, Chimaev wasted no time shooting for a takedown and got it almost instantly. He sank into a crucifix position, a setup that lets him control both of Du Plessis’s arms and rained down short punches while Du Plessis stayed defensive on the mat.
Round 2 had Chimaev continued the same strategy, another takedown within seconds, dragging Du Plessis to the mat and keeping him grounded with body-knee combos and wrestling control. Chimaev held the body lock, kept up knee strikes, and even slipped in a rear-naked choke attempt, though Du Plessis defended well.
Round 3 started and Chimaev kept up the pressure from the very start. Again, Chimaev wasted no time shooting for a takedown and he quickly locked in some serious control on the ground. This time, he was landing hard short elbows and lefts, inflicting more visible damage and keeping Du Plessis trapped.
Then Chimaev threw a few strikes to set up the takedown, and while du Plessis managed to avoid the first attempt, Chimaev wasted no time diving back in and taking his back again. Du Plessis tried to stand, but Chimaev dragged him right back down again. Du Plessis kept trying to get back to his feet, but with Chimaev glued to him, it wasn’t going well . Even when du Plessis finally shook him off his back, Chimaev stayed on top, smothering him and landing small but steady shots. The Referee called for a stand-up, still, it didn’t make much difference. As soon as they reset, Chimaev shot in for another takedown.
The final round saw Du Plessis fight with urgency. He finally found a small opening. He landed hard strikes earlier in the round got on top, and even went for a guillotine, but Chimaev quickly countered, slipping back into top control. With two minutes left, Chimaev settled in full guard, grinding away. In the final minute, Du Plessis landed a solid right hand. Chimaev jabbed and shot for another takedown, but this time Du Plessis stuffed it. Chimaev tried to take him down, only for Du Plessis to push back and even work toward taking the back. There wasn’t enough time. Du Plessis had that round, but it didn’t change the outcome. At the end of the five rounds, the judges scored the fight in favor of Chimaev, awarding him a dominant unanimous decision victory.
Khamzat Chimaev showed pure dominance from start to finish, using his wrestling and control to shut down Du Plessis in every round. After five one-sided rounds, Chimaev was crowned the new UFC Middleweight Champion
