Overview

• Chimaev dethroned Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 by unanimous decision with three 50-44 scorecards, logging a UFC-record 529 total strikes, 12 takedowns, and over 21 minutes of control time.
• The new champion surged ten places to No. 4 in the updated men’s pound-for-pound rankings, with Du Plessis sliding to No. 11.
• Dana White announced Nassourdine Imavov vs. Caio Borralho for Sept. 6 in Paris and Reinier de Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez for Oct. 18 in Vancouver, framing both as bouts with major implications for the next title shot.
• Chimaev and de Ridder traded callouts on X after UFC 319, signaling interest in a future matchup while de Ridder first faces Hernandez.
• Reaction to the performance split opinions as Paulo Costa called the display bad for business, Matt Brown defended the dominance, and White said he would have scored most rounds 10-8; Chimaev later returned to Chechnya and credited Ramzan Kadyrov for past support.