Many felt that the bout would present a real test of Chimaev’s cardio against one of the toughest, most well-rounded fighters in the UFC. But ultimately, Chimaev’s specialism – his wrestling – was simply too much to overcome for Du Plessis, who was completely outmatched on the mat.
Chimaev successfully took the champion to the canvas early in every round as he shut down the South African in a one-sided performance that, while dominant in its nature, offered little in the way of exciting action for the fight fans in United Center and watching on TV worldwide.
But, despite Chimaev’s dominance on the ground, he was unable to get the finish as Du Plessis defended smartly on the mat. However, such was Chimaev’s wrestling superiority, the champion was unable to get the fight back to the feet.
After more than four rounds of one-way traffic, Du Plessis had brief moments of success in the final round as he connected with a couple of solid strikes and briefly threatened with a rear-naked choke attempt, but Chimaev still bossed the round to complete a clean sweep.
With Chimaev unable to find a finish, it meant the bout went to the judges’ scorecards, where the only question mark was over how many 10-8 rounds the judges would give the challenger. In the end, it was just one round, with all three judges scoring the bout 50-44 to Chimaev, who captured the title by a landslide.
Now the attention turns to the UFC’s matchmakers, who have to decide who from the UFC’s list of middleweight contenders should be Chimaev’s first challenger, with Nassourdine Imavov, Caio Borralho, Reinier De Ridder and Anthony Hernandez all within touching distance of a title shot.
Murphy starches Pico, calls for title shot
In the co-main event, England’s undefeated Lerone Murphy delivered the performance of his career to brutally knock out former Bellator standout Aaron Pico in the first round, then called for a shot at reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
The Manchester Top Team fighter had to weather some strong early pressure as Pico pushed the pace from the very start. But it didn’t take long for Murphy to gauge Pico’s timing, and a strong short-range elbow, and a well-timed knee, both found their mark.
And, with Pico still pushing forward, Murphy created some space and unleashed a spinning back elbow that knocked out Pico instantly.
After his spectacular knockout victory, Murphy made full use of his post-fight interview to call for a title fight with Volkanovski. After a performance like that, it’s going to be hard to deny him.
Prates sleeps Neal with spinning buzzer-beater
Brazilian welterweight Carlos Prates successfully bounced back from his first UFC defeat in emphatic fashion as he became the first man to knock out Geoff Neal.
As expected, the pair settled straight into a stand-up battle, with Neal looking to connect with heavy punches early. But as the round wore on, Prates got to work and, after landing some big shots with hands and legs through the middle portion of the round, the Brazilian unleashed a stunning spinning back elbow to knock out Neal with one second left in the round.
It was a spectacular way for Prates to bounce back from his decision loss to Ian Machado Garry earlier this year, and he used his post-fight interview to call for a fight in Rio, a Performance of the Night bonus, and for his Fighting Nerds teammate and LFA flyweight champion Marcos Degli to get a UFC contract. White subsequently informed Joe Rogan via his earpiece that Prates would get his fight in Rio, and his bonus.
MVP makes it two from two at middleweight
Also on the main card, England’s Michael “Venom” Page made his second UFC appearance as a middleweight, and claimed a unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Jared Cannonier.
Page looked in vintage form through the first two rounds, as he showcased his lightning-fast striking and elusiveness, which appear even more marked against middleweight opposition. And, in a pair of standout moments that could offer a glimpse into the future, Page dropped Cannonier twice – once in Round 1 and again in Round 2 – first with a huge single shot, then with a blistering two-punch combination.
But in the final round, with Page seemingly keen to give the Chicago crowd a stoppage finish to cheer, the Englishman over-extended and ended up on the mat, with Cannonier on top of him.
It gave Cannonier the chance to try to claim a come-from-behind win, but despite his attempts to lock up a Kimura, then an arm-triangle choke, Cannonier was unable to get the finish as Page stayed defensively solid off his back to avoid too much trouble and take the fight to the scorecards.
All three judges scored the fight the same, with Page taking the win with scores of 29-28 across the board.
Elliott upsets the odds, submits Asakura
The pay-per-view card opened with a shock result as flyweight veteran Tim Elliott made a mockery of the pre-fight odds that had him as the biggest underdog on the main card.
Elliott was decidedly unfancied against the former Rizin FF bantamweight champion Kai Asakura. But, after taking the best shots the Japanese star could throw at him, Elliott closed the distance, dragged the action to the mat and finished Asakura with a mounted guillotine choke.
UFC 319: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Khamzat Chimaev def. Dricus Du Plessis via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44) – for middleweight title
- Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico via knockout (spinning back elbow) – Round 1, 3:21
- Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal via knockout (spinning back elbow) – Round 1, 4:59
- Michael Page def. Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Tim Elliott def. Kai Asakura via submission (mounted guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:39
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Baysangur Susurkaev def. Eric Nolan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:01
- Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Gerald Meerschaert via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:03
- Loopy Godinez def. Jessica Andrade via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Alexander Hernandez def. Chase Hooper via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:58
EARLY PRELIMS
- Drakkar Klose def. Edson Barboza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Karine Silva def. Dione Barbosa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Joseph Morales def. Alibi Idiris via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:04
