Khamzat Chimaev’s wrestling dominance led him to the UFC middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 on August 16, 2025, at Chicago’s United Center. Broadcast on ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, and ESPN+, the fight saw Chimaev control Du Plessis with 529 strikes and 12 takedowns. Some fans booed the grappling-heavy approach, prompting former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson to defend Chimaev’s style on his YouTube channel.
Khamzat Chimaev had 21:40 of control time in the 25-minute fight with Dricus Du Plessis at #UFC319 🤯
The most ever in UFC title fight history pic.twitter.com/YHmQwQoTtZ
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) August 17, 2025
Chimaev’s Grappling Masterclass
Chimaev, still undefeated, faced Du Plessis, who was defending his middleweight title for the third time. Chimaev controlled every round, pinning Du Plessis in positions like the crucifix and earning 50-44 scores from all judges. Despite some fans hoping for more stand-up action, Chimaev’s relentless wrestling shut down all resistance.
Johnson addressed the backlash, saying:
“If you guys don’t want to watch grappling and wrestling and jiu-jitsu, don’t watch UFC. Go watch ONE Championship, go watch Lion Fighting, go watch Glory, go watch kickboxing, go watch Muay Thai, right? It’s very simple. You guys are complaining about something that’s a very simple problem to fix. For example, let’s say Khamzat’s about to fight again, you don’t want to watch his style, all you’ve got to do is go like this, you see this button right here, it’s called ‘off button.’ You don’t have to see Khamzat wrestle, it’s a very simple problem to fix. You guys are making it a bigger deal than it is.”
Referee Call Under Fire
Johnson took issue with the referee’s decision to stand up the fighters during Chimaev’s control. He said:
“I disagree with this. That should have never happened because the same thing’s going to happen. Basically, what the ref did, the ref gave DDP a better chance to fight. What just happened with the referee’s decision should have never happened. There’s no reason why the ref should have stood them up. This is a fight. It’s up to DDP to get to a better position to be able to better himself to be able to fight. The fact that the ref allowed DDP to get out of a very down position from Khamzat Chimaev is bullshit.”
Future Opponents and Challenges
Johnson broke down the fight, saying:
“I honestly thought Khamzat was going to be able to finish DDP if he was able to take DDP down, but I also thought DDP was going to do a better job of defending the takedowns and he wasn’t able to stop the takedown. That was the story of that fight, so moving forward, whoever fights Khamzat, they need to decide—like, Imavov or Borralho, they fight Sept. 6, whoever wins that fight, if they do not come with wrestling defense or a good jiu-jitsu attacking style like going after the legs, elevating Khamzat, they’re going to lose. I feel totally comfortable saying that. They’re going to lose. Because Khamzat does not want to stand. He wants to show, show, shoot. Show, show, shoot. So if those guys don’t have a ground game or have an answer for his wrestling, it’s going to be the same exact thing that happened to DDP.” via MMAFighting
Dricus Du Plessis, now 23-3, faced his first major setback against Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319, despite his striking and finishing ability.
