This past Saturday in the main event of UFC 319, the middleweight title was on the line. Dricus Du Plessis (23-3) was looking to defend the middleweight title against the undefeated challenger Khamzat Chimaev (15-0).
Entering the bout, there were a lot of questions surrounding Chimaev. Primarily, the questions centered around cardio. Many thought that if the fight ended early, Chimaev would win but he would be in trouble if the fight made it to the later rounds.
That is not how it played out on Saturday night at UFC 319. Chimaev was extremely dominant with his wrestling. He was able to take DDP down at will and usually would have him down within the first 20 seconds of a round.
Even if DDP was able to defend at first or get up, Chimaev took him right down. That said, Chimaev never really poured it on in terms of significant strikes, he more just held DDP down and hit him with steady shots throughout.
The only adversity Chimaev faced in the entire fight was in the final minute. DDP defended a takedown and during a scramble got mount. He went for a choke but Chimaev defended easily. The time ran out and Khamzat Chimaev became the UFC middleweight champion.
What’s next after UFC 319?
Khamzat Chimaev is now the UFC middleweight champion and after a one-sided win over a great champion like DDP, it’s hard to imagine anyone taking the belt off him anytime soon. In terms of a next challenger, it’s never been a more exciting time in the middleweight division.
The next logical challenger will come out of the UFC Paris main event. Top contenders Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho will clash and the winner of that fight will likely be next for Chimaev. Should the winner be out for an extended period of time, it would appear that the next line of challengers would be Reinier De Ridder and Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez.
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