Overview

• Khamzat Chimaev dominated Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 to claim the middleweight title by unanimous 50-44 decision, logging 12 takedowns, roughly 21:40 of control and a 529–45 total strike edge.
• Du Plessis issued a measured Instagram statement nine days later accepting the defeat, vowing to return, and drawing fresh scrutiny of his wrestling as his coach estimated months of focused grappling work.
• The UFC has scheduled Nassourdine Imavov vs. Caio Borralho on Sept. 6 in Paris and Reinier de Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez on Oct. 18 in Vancouver, with reporting indicating the most impressive winner is likely to get the title shot.
• Paulo Costa is lobbying to face du Plessis in November or December, saying he has spoken with Dana White and Hunter Campbell and prefers DDP over an Israel Adesanya rematch despite his current No. 13 ranking.
• Reaction to Chimaev’s control-heavy style remains split, with Khabib Nurmagomedov defending it as smart championship strategy as voices like Daniel Cormier tout his pound‑for‑pound case and Sean O’Malley doubts any current middleweight can beat him.