Khamzat Chimaev was essentially crowned a future UFC champ from the moment he made his promotional debut in 2020. Five years later, he finally made good on those early expectations. Chimaev (15-0) claimed the middleweight championship at UFC 319 on Saturday night inside United Center in a dominant showing over Dricus Du Plessis (23-3).

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings us UFC 319 TONIGHT (Sat., August 16, 2025), streaming LIVE on ESPN+ PPV from inside United Center in Chicago, IL. The pay-per-view (PPV) main event is Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev for Du Plessis’ UFC Middleweight championship title.

Khamzat Chimaev may not have made many new fans with his dominant win over Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319 on Saturday, but the top title challenger is taking home the UFC middleweight championship after winning a lopsided decision with a smothering grappling performance.