In a highly anticipated main event at UFC 319, Khamzat Chimaev showcased his grappling prowess with a dominant performance against Dricus du Plessis, securing the UFC middleweight championship through a lopsided unanimous decision. The fight, held on Saturday in Chicago, saw Chimaev employ a smothering grappling strategy that left du Plessis struggling to mount any significant offense.
As expected, Chimaev wasted no time and immediately shot for a takedown. Although he faced an early scare with a potential choke from du Plessis, Chimaev managed to roll through and take control in side position. Once on top, he quickly trapped du Plessis' arm, delivering short but effective strikes from the crucifix position. While the punches lacked full power, they rendered du Plessis largely defenseless, forcing him to search for a way out of the precarious situation.
Midway through the first round, du Plessis managed to free his arm but still struggled against Chimaev's overwhelming grappling. In the final moments of the round, he almost returned to his feet, but the horn sounded before he could escape Chimaev's grasp.
With the first round behind him, du Plessis entered the second round needing a significant shift in momentum. However, Chimaev continued his relentless pursuit, driving du Plessis to one knee against the cage. As du Plessis attempted to stand, Chimaev dragged him back down, unleashing knees and searching for rear-naked choke opportunities, which incited boos from the Chicago crowd.
The strategy proved effective, and in the third round, Chimaev executed another successful takedown, returning to the dominant side control position. He quickly trapped du Plessis' arm again in a crucifix, mixing in elbows and increasing the damage inflicted upon the champion.
Entering the fourth round, referee Marc Goddard stood the fighters due to a lack of action, but Chimaev swiftly secured yet another takedown, continuing to control the fight on the ground. Du Plessis found a brief moment of momentum at the start of the final round, landing a few strikes and causing Chimaev to appear uncomfortable for the first time.
However, the inevitable Chimaev takedown followed, and despite du Plessis managing to escape to a top position, a failed guillotine choke attempt allowed Chimaev to regain control. In the closing moments, du Plessis mounted a final effort, ending up on top and threatening a rear-naked choke, but Chimaev's resilience saw him through to the final bell.
Chimaev's control throughout the fight was evident in the statistics. He successfully completed 12 takedowns out of 17 attempts, accruing a staggering 21:40 of ground control time. This means that nearly 88% of the fight was spent with Chimaev dominating on the ground. He landed 37 significant strikes compared to just 13 by du Plessis, and when factoring in all strikes, Chimaev outlanded du Plessis 529 to 45.
Du Plessis entered the octagon with a four-fight winning streak against former champions but left the United Center having endured nearly 22 minutes on the ground and suffering from an almost 500-strike deficit. With this victory, Khamzat Chimaev improved his professional record to 15-0 and solidified his status as the new UFC middleweight champion.
The manner in which Chimaev dismantled du Plessis has reignited discussions about his ambitious goal of becoming a three-division champion, aiming to capture titles in both the welterweight and light heavyweight divisions. As the UFC landscape evolves, fans will be keenly watching Chimaev's next moves in the octagon.
In the co-main event, Aaron Pico faced an unexpected challenge as he squared off against late replacement Lerone Murphy. Murphy delivered a stunning back elbow, knocking Pico out cold in the first round. Pico had initially controlled the fight with his wrestling skills, but Murphy's timely strike turned the tide. Following the fight, Murphy expressed his desire for a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski in December, a challenge that Volkanovski appeared to welcome on social media.
Stay tuned for more updates as CBS Sports continues to cover the latest developments in the world of MMA, bringing you all the results and highlights from UFC 319.
