UFC 319 will see the Octagon head to Chicago’s United Center on August 16, with the undisputed UFC middleweight championship up for grabs in the night’s headliner, as defending champion Dricus Du Plessis puts his title on the line against Khamzat Chimaev.
South Africa’s Du Plessis has been a revelation since his arrival in the UFC after capturing the middleweight title for South African promotion EFC, and the welterweight title for Polish promotion KSW.
Fighting at middleweight, “Stillknocks” battled his way up the 185-pound rankings and defeating former champion Robert Whittaker to earn a shot at then-champion Sean Strickland at UFC 297.
Du Plessis edged a split-decision verdict to win the fight, and the title, in Toronto, then cemented his status at the top of the division by submitting former champ Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.
BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE 👀@DricusDuPlessis vs @KChimaev headlines #UFC319 in Chicago!
Register interest 👉 https://t.co/gMKKvwrLfh pic.twitter.com/uaGmzf6Opk
— UFC (@ufc) May 13, 2025
A rematch with Strickland followed, with the pair facing off in Sydney in February. But the second meeting between the pair was much more clear-cut than the first, with Du Plessis dominating Strickland to earn a landslide unanimous decision victory and secure his second straight title defence.
Now Du Plessis faces the dangerous threat of Khamzat Chimaev, who looked like an instant championship threat upon his arrival in the UFC in 2020.
Injuries and illness have slowed his progression to the top, but he has remained undefeated and, after committing to the middleweight division after prior fights at welterweight, he defeated a pair of former world champions as he outpointed Kamaru Usman and submitted Robert Whittaker to put himself in pole position for a title shot.
That shot comes in Chicago on August 16, when Chimaev will challenge Du Plessis for the undisputed 185-pound crown.
