Dricus du Plessis confided to Uncrowned his aspiration to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago. His aspiration materialized. He endured the consequences. Monumentally.
In a show of control surpassing even his ascent to championship status, Chimaev dedicated five rounds to extinguishing the vigor of a once-formidable titleholder, securing a victory through unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44) and claiming the UFC middleweight title.
Yes, 50-44, repeated thrice. The margin could have widened further, yet judges refrained from awarding Chimaev multiple 10-8 rounds, likely due to the absence of significant inflicted harm.
Chimaev needed only seven seconds to ground du Plessis. He executed 12 of 17 attempted takedowns and maintained ground control for 21 minutes and 40 seconds within the 25-minute duration of the fight. Du Plessis had previously spent a mere 4 minutes and 56 seconds in the bottom position throughout his five-year UFC tenure, only to spend 4 minutes and 46 seconds there in the opening round.
Regarding total strikes, Chimaev surpassed du Plessis with 529 landed compared to 45. Although most strikes lacked substantial impact, the sheer volume underscores the pronounced imbalance of the contest.
The most favorable observation concerning du Plessis is his resurgence in the fifth round, injecting intrigue into the closing two minutes. The remainder of the fight manifested as a dispiriting, overwhelming display of dominance from an athlete who now appears destined to assert control over the middleweight division for years to come.
Here’s du Plessis’s description of the experience:
“He was akin to a suffocating cover. It wasn’t about brute force, nor particularly physical; rather, it was as though he anticipated my every move. He achieved it without excessive exertion, and I had to determine whether to remain on my back or position him on his.”
“Ultimately, I pursued it, secured his back, and almost tasted triumph, but — accolades to Khamzat. He unquestionably earned this one.”
The United Center audience did not appreciate the lopsided, wrestling-centric spectacle, expressing their disapproval with loud boos directed at Chimaev during his post-victory interview. However, this seemed to have little impact on him.
The main event benefited from a fitting prelude. The third bout on the main card culminated dramatically as Carlos Prates landed a spinning back elbow on Geoff Neal’s head, resulting in a knockout in the final second of the first round, marking the ninth spinning back elbow KO in UFC history.
That could have been deemed a remarkable instant, until Lerone Murphy replicated the feat precisely. He welcomed UFC newcomer Aaron Pico with a first-round spinning back elbow KO. Both fighters promptly received a $50,000 bonus and the opportunity to dictate their next fight.
Reports suggest Prates will secure a spot on the upcoming Rio de Janeiro card in October — he singled out Leon Edwards as a potential opponent — while UFC featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski has accepted a challenge from Murphy via social media.
Check out full UFC 319 results and highlights below.
Main Card results
Middleweight championship: Khamzat Chimaev def. Dricus du Plessis by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44)
Featherweight: Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico by KO (spinning back elbow) at 3:21 of Round 1
Welterweight: Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal by KO (spinning back elbow) at 4:59 of Round 1
Middleweight: Michael Page def. Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Flyweight: Tim Elliott def. Kai Asakura by submission (guillotine) at 4:39 of Round 2
Prelims results
Middleweight: Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric Nolan by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:01 of Round 2
Middleweight: Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Gerald Meerschaert by TKO (punches) at 3:03 of Round 1
Women’s strawweight: Loopy Godinez def. Jessica Andrade by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight: Alex Hernandez def. Chase Hooper by TKO (punches) at 4:58 of Round 1
Early prelims results
Lightweight: Drakkar Klose def. Edson Barboza by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Women’s flyweight: Karine Silva def. Dione Barbosa by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Flyweight: Joseph Morales def. Alibi Idiris by submission (triangle choke) at 3:04 of Round 2
