Dricus du Plessis defends middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319

Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev are finally set to lock horns.

On Tuesday, UFC CEO Dana White announced via Instagram Live that du Plessis will defend his middleweight title against Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319, which goes down Aug. 16 at United Center in Chicago. It’s the UFC’s first trip to the Windy City since UFC 238 in 2019.

Undefeated since joining the UFC in 2020, du Plessis won the middleweight title in 2024, taking a split decision over Sean Strickland at UFC 297. He then successfully defended the title with a fourth-round submission of Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 last summer. Most recently, du Plessis solidified his hold on the middleweight title with a unanimous decision win over Strickland in their rematch at UFC 312 in February.

The breakout star of 2020, the unbeaten Chimaev has long been considered a favorite to hold UFC gold, but struggled with availability in recent years. When Chimaev has made it to the cage, he’s been electric, with eight wins inside the octagon, six by stoppage. Most recently, Chimaev submitted formed middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the first round at UFC 308 in the 2024 Submission of the Year, finally earning his crack at the title.