Latest
It’s Official: Du Plessis To Defend Title Against Chimaev At UFC 319
South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis will make the third defence of his middleweight title against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319 at the United Center in Chicago on August 17 (SA time).
UFC CEO Dana White announced the blockbuster bout, which will headline the UFC’s first event in the Windy City since 2019, via Instagram Live on Tuesday.
Undefeated since joining the world’s pre-eminent mixed martial arts promotion in 2020, Du Plessis won the 185-pound title at the start of 2024, edging out a hard-fought split decision win over Sean Strickland at UFC 297.
He successfully defended the title against one of the greatest middleweights of all time, Israel Adesanya, becoming the first man to submit the Nigerian-born icon at UFC 305 last August and, most recently, put his rivalry with Strickland to bed with a dominant decision victory at UFC 312 in February.
The breakout star of 2020, the unbeaten Chimaev has long been viewed as a future champion, but has struggled with availability in recent years. Inside the Octagon, “Borz” is a beast with his powerful wrestling and relentless pace.
He has eight wins in the UFC – six by stoppage – and sent a frightening message to the fighting pride of South Africa when he ran through Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 last October, crushing the Australian great’s jaw with a nasty face crank in the first round.
Du Plessis has long pushed for the fight against the Chechen boogeyman and has vowed to take it to him with his warrior spirit and heavy hands. The champion kept it short and sweet in his first statement since the fight was made official, saying “Prepare to be amazed…again!” on Instagram.
White also announced that pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev is vacating the lightweight title and moving up to welterweight to face new champion Jack Della Maddalena. The date and location for the matchup are still to be determined.
With Makhachev officially moving to 170 pounds, White announced that former featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria will face Charles Oliveira for the lightweight championship in the main event of UFC 317 on June 29 to cap off International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
The co-main event of that card, White revealed, will see flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defend his title against Kai Kara-France.