Khamzat Chimaev was essentially crowned a future UFC champion from the moment he made his promotional debut in 2020. Five years later, he finally made good on those early expectations. Chimaev (15-0) claimed the middleweight championship at UFC 319 on Saturday night inside United Center in a dominant showing over Dricus Du Plessis (23-3).

UFC 319 went down last night (Sat. Aug., 16, 2025) inside United Center in Chicago, Ill., which saw Khamzat Chimaev dominate Dricus du Plessis for 25 minutes to become the undisputed Middleweight champion of the world (see it again here),

Khamzat Chimaev may not have made many new fans with his dominant win over Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319 on Saturday, but the top title challenger is taking home the UFC middleweight championship after winning a lopsided decision with a smothering grappling performance.