Aug 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, UNITED STATES; Khamzat Chimaev (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Dricus Du Plessis Murphy (red gloves) during UFC 319 at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Khamzat Chimaev Absolutely Dominates Dricus Du Plessis At UFC 319 To Capture The Middleweight Championship

UFC champions come and go, but few exits are as decisive as what happened at UFC 319. Dricus Du Plessis was utterly dominated and dethroned by Khamzat Chimaev in the main event this weekend. The South African fighter had built quite a reputation for himself, becoming a fan favorite with his aggressive style and colorful personality. He represented something special for MMA fans in South Africa, putting his country firmly on the combat sports map.

Du Plessis claimed in advance of the fight that he was excited to face an opponent many felt was unbeatable heading into their showdown. He had earned his stripes by defeating some serious competition on his way to the title. But Chimaev presented a different kind of challenge altogether. The Chechen fighter had been steamrolling through opponents with his relentless wrestling and suffocating ground game. Going into this fight at UFC 319, many fans wondered if Du Plessis could handle the wrestling pressure that had broken so many other fighters before him.

Khamzat Chimaev Decimates The Champion

Du Plessis insisted that he would be able to get back up pre-fight, but was taken down within seconds by Chimaev. He managed to get into a crucifix position and almost immediately, it was a disastrous position for the champion. The fight followed a predictable pattern from there. Chimaev would take Du Plessis down, control him completely, and make it look surprisingly easy.

IT TOOK KHAMZAT CHIMAEV JUST 5 SECONDS BEFORE TAKING DOWN DRICUS DU PLESSIS 🤯 #UFC319 pic.twitter.com/MokdBqYpey
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 17, 2025

It wasn’t a particularly painful round for Du Plessis. But he was clearly behind and dominated as the pair headed to their stools for the second. However, that didn’t put off the champion who seemed to smile and laugh with his coaches between the rounds. It was more of the same in round two and three as Chimaev dominated position without really pushing for a finish as he avoided taking even one significant strike. Du Plessis was cut in the third round by one of the small shots his challenger landed.

After almost four rounds of minimal damage but dominance of position, Chimaev was finally stood up by referee Marc Goddard. Even when the referee tried to give him a fresh start, Chimaev immediately put him right back. Du Plessis got himself 30 seconds of fighting at the start of the fifth before being put down again. A late flurry from Du Plessis wasn’t enough, and Chimaev became the new undisputed middleweight champion.

Absolutely DOMINANT performance from @KChimaev tonight 👏

He's leaving #UFC319 with middleweight gold! pic.twitter.com/ia1KW5sEAx
— UFC (@ufc) August 17, 2025

All three judges scored the fight 50-44 across the board. Those scorecards tell the whole story. This wasn’t a close fight that could have gone either way. This was complete domination from start to finish. Chimaev had answered every question about his cardio and his five round readiness. And now, Khamzat Chimaev is the undisputed UFC Middleweight Champion!

(Image Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski – Imagn Images)

Dricus Du Plessis

Khamzat Chimaev

UFC 319

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!