by Will Rogers
Sunday, Aug 03, 2025
UFC 319 - Saturday, August 16th @ United Center - Chicago, IL
Fight fans are in for a treat when Dricus Du Plessis defends his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev, at UFC 319. The "war" won't happen until August 16th, at the United Center, but I'm already getting excited about it. The champion is off 11 straight victories, the last nine of those in the Octagon. His most recent loss was seven years ago. Yet, the undefeated challenger is the fairly heavy favorite. That shows how dominant and respected Chimaev is. Let's take a closer look at what promises to be an epic battle. (Skip to the bottom for my prediction.)
The Champion
Dricus Du Plessis, known as "Stillknocks," is a versatile, dynamic and arguably underrated fighter. (See more on that below.) The South African blends striking and grappling with an unorthodox, high-pressure fighting style. With a background in judo, wrestling, and K-1 kickboxing—where he went 33-0 as an amateur with 30 knockouts— "DDP" combines powerful, heavy-handed strikes with solid submission skills, evidenced by his 9 KO's and 11 submissions. DDP seems to get stronger every time out. His adaptability allows him to adjust to opponents' movements, making him unpredictable and dangerous. Du Plessis's resilience, honed from his rugby-playing days complements his raw knockout power and grappling prowess, enabling him to dominate fights with relentless pace and versatility. DDP has previous title defenses against top tiger fighters like Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland.
The Challenger
Khamzat Chimaev, nicknamed "Borz" (The Wolf), is known for his aggressive, high-pressure fighting style that blends elite-level wrestling with devastating striking. A three-time Swedish national freestyle wrestling champion, Chimaev dominates opponents with suffocating grappling. His first-round submission of Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 demonstrated his dominance. While he's most known for his grappling, Chimaev's has knockout power, as seen in his 17-second KO of Gerald Meerschaert. With a 14-0 record, including 6 knockouts and 6 submissions, Chimaev’s ability to seamlessly transition between grappling and striking, combined with his ferocious pace and mental toughness, has made him an unstoppable force. Five of his last seven victories have come in the first round.
No Respect
Du Plessis finally got some respect in his last fight as he was a -220 favorite versus Sean Strickland. Prior to that, he opened as an underdog vs. Israel Adesanya. The line for that fight closed in the pick'em range. Before that, in his first fight vs Strickland, DDP opened as an underdog. That fight also closed in the pick'em range. Before that? DDP was a massive +270 underdog vs Robert Whittaker.
Opposite Personalities and Bad Blood
Du Plessis is generally viewed as a gentleman due to his respectful behavior and positive attitude. He tends to display class and sportsmanship, showing respect to his opponents. Conversely, Chimaev has a mean streak and likes to "talk trash." Nobody calls him classy. In trying to get inside the head of his opponents, Chimaev likes to fight dirty. He's been known to send direct messages to his opponent's wives. Not surprisingly, Chimaev initiated verbal sparring by posting a photo of Du Plessis with his coaches after UFC 297, mocking their size with donut emojis. Tensions have since escalated through social media exchanges and public comments. Du Plessis hit back by calling out Chimaev with an "inbred" jab. Additionally, Chimaev’s comments about preparing for "murder" in response to Du Plessis’s grappling-focused training were met with Du Plessis laughing off the threats. DDP has dismissed Chimaev's "boogeyman" aura and has questioned his stamina. Chimaev’s camp has downplayed Du Plessis’s abilities.
The Odds (Courtesy of BetOnline as of August 3rd)
Chimaev -185
Du Plessis +160
Tale of the tape
Du Plessis | Chimaev
23-2 | Record | 14-0
Fight fans are in for a treat when Dricus Du Plessis defends his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev, at UFC 319. The "war" won't happen until August 16th, at the United Center, but I'm already getting excited about it. The champion is off 11 straight victories, the last nine of those in the Octagon. His most recent loss was seven years ago. Yet, the undefeated challenger is the fairly heavy favorite. That shows how dominant and respected Chimaev is. Let's take a closer look at what promises to be an epic battle. (Skip to the bottom for my prediction.)
The Champion
Dricus Du Plessis, known as "Stillknocks," is a versatile, dynamic and arguably underrated fighter. (See more on that below.) The South African blends striking and grappling with an unorthodox, high-pressure fighting style. With a background in judo, wrestling, and K-1 kickboxing—where he went 33-0 as an amateur with 30 knockouts— "DDP" combines powerful, heavy-handed strikes with solid submission skills, evidenced by his 9 KO's and 11 submissions. DDP seems to get stronger every time out. His adaptability allows him to adjust to opponents' movements, making him unpredictable and dangerous. Du Plessis's resilience, honed from his rugby-playing days complements his raw knockout power and grappling prowess, enabling him to dominate fights with relentless pace and versatility. DDP has previous title defenses against top tiger fighters like Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland.
The Challenger
Khamzat Chimaev, nicknamed "Borz" (The Wolf), is known for his aggressive, high-pressure fighting style that blends elite-level wrestling with devastating striking. A three-time Swedish national freestyle wrestling champion, Chimaev dominates opponents with suffocating grappling. His first-round submission of Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 demonstrated his dominance. While he's most known for his grappling, Chimaev's has knockout power, as seen in his 17-second KO of Gerald Meerschaert. With a 14-0 record, including 6 knockouts and 6 submissions, Chimaev’s ability to seamlessly transition between grappling and striking, combined with his ferocious pace and mental toughness, has made him an unstoppable force. Five of his last seven victories have come in the first round.
No Respect
Du Plessis finally got some respect in his last fight as he was a -220 favorite versus Sean Strickland. Prior to that, he opened as an underdog vs. Israel Adesanya. The line for that fight closed in the pick'em range. Before that, in his first fight vs Strickland, DDP opened as an underdog. That fight also closed in the pick'em range. Before that? DDP was a massive +270 underdog vs Robert Whittaker.
Opposite Personalities and Bad Blood
Du Plessis is generally viewed as a gentleman due to his respectful behavior and positive attitude. He tends to display class and sportsmanship, showing respect to his opponents. Conversely, Chimaev has a mean streak and likes to "talk trash." Nobody calls him classy. In trying to get inside the head of his opponents, Chimaev likes to fight dirty. He's been known to send direct messages to his opponent's wives. Not surprisingly, Chimaev initiated verbal sparring by posting a photo of Du Plessis with his coaches after UFC 297, mocking their size with donut emojis. Tensions have since escalated through social media exchanges and public comments. Du Plessis hit back by calling out Chimaev with an "inbred" jab. Additionally, Chimaev’s comments about preparing for "murder" in response to Du Plessis’s grappling-focused training were met with Du Plessis laughing off the threats. DDP has dismissed Chimaev's "boogeyman" aura and has questioned his stamina. Chimaev’s camp has downplayed Du Plessis’s abilities.
The Odds (Courtesy of BetOnline as of August 3rd)
Chimaev -185
Du Plessis +160
Tale of the tape
Du Plessis | Chimaev
23-2 | Record | 14-0
31 | Age | 31
1.85 m | Height | 1.88 m
83.9 kg | Weight | 83.9 kg
193 cm | Reach | 190.5 cm
Prediction
While defeating Chimaev won't be easy, Du Plessis does have a path to victory. Chimaev has never gone past the third round and there are some questions about his cardio. He's only been past the second round twice. Ever improving and adapting, Du Plessis is used to being doubted. Unlike some of Chimaev's other opponents, he won't be intimated or baited into losing his temper. The key will be to survive the initial storm of Chimaev’s aggressive grappling and striking in the first round. Du Plessis can then leverage his unorthodox striking and elite cardio to exploit Chimaev’s potential weaknesses in the later rounds. Look for DDP to take Chimaev to a place he's never gone, ultimately scoring the upset as a substantial underdog. Play on Dricus Du Plessis (+160)
1.85 m | Height | 1.88 m
83.9 kg | Weight | 83.9 kg
193 cm | Reach | 190.5 cm
Prediction
While defeating Chimaev won't be easy, Du Plessis does have a path to victory. Chimaev has never gone past the third round and there are some questions about his cardio. He's only been past the second round twice. Ever improving and adapting, Du Plessis is used to being doubted. Unlike some of Chimaev's other opponents, he won't be intimated or baited into losing his temper. The key will be to survive the initial storm of Chimaev’s aggressive grappling and striking in the first round. Du Plessis can then leverage his unorthodox striking and elite cardio to exploit Chimaev’s potential weaknesses in the later rounds. Look for DDP to take Chimaev to a place he's never gone, ultimately scoring the upset as a substantial underdog. Play on Dricus Du Plessis (+160)
