Overview

• At UFC 319 on Aug. 16 in Chicago, Khamzat Chimaev took the middleweight belt by unanimous decision with 12 takedowns, more than 21 minutes of control and 529 strikes.
• In a new Instagram post, Dricus du Plessis offered no excuses, congratulated Chimaev and promised to come back to championship form.
• Chael Sonnen criticized du Plessis’ takedown defense and quipped that his 10-year-old son could demonstrate the basics, framing the fix as fundamental but effort-heavy.
• Quinton “Rampage” Jackson advised a move to welterweight and Kamaru Usman highlighted technical grappling gaps, while coach Morne Visser’s complaints about referee Marc Goddard drew sharp pushback from Matt Serra.
• MMA Fighting’s panel dropped du Plessis from No. 5 to No. 11 in its pound-for-pound list as discussion turns to potential challengers for Chimaev, with some outlets eyeing the Imavov–Borralho winner in September.