On August 16, 2025, Khamzat Chimaev seized the UFC middleweight championship with a commanding performance against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319, held at Chicago’s United Center. Broadcast on ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, and ESPN+, the fight saw Chimaev rack up 529 strikes and 12 takedowns. Former champion Israel Adesanya, speaking on his YouTube channel, lauded Chimaev’s improved performance.
THE LONE WOLF 🐺@KChimaev defeats Dricus du Plessis by unanimous decision to become the NEW middleweight champion of the world!
[ #UFC319 | BY2B @OReillyAuto ] pic.twitter.com/IFlN9zOJ3b
— UFC (@ufc) August 17, 2025
A Dominant Showing
Chimaev, perfect at 15-0 (9-0 UFC), faced Du Plessis, who stood at 23-3 (9-1 UFC) and was defending his title for the third time. Chimaev controlled every round, earning 50-44 scores from all judges. His wrestling pinned Du Plessis in the crucifix, landing steady ground-and-pound.
Adesanya, who lost to Du Plessis at UFC 305, expected a late surge from the South African. Instead, Chimaev stayed strong. Adesanya said:
“He prepared very well. His gas tank held up. Not what I expected, but I’m glad that Khamzat fixed his cardio, or improved his cardio to the point where he can go five rounds and just ragdoll people, that a mess. That’s a mess to deal with, because I thought DDP [du Plessis] Round 4 would be able to stuff the take downs to where Khamzat will get tired, but he didn’t even slow down. He slowed down DDP, he slowed him down, which was very impressive.”
Adesanya believed Du Plessis’ resilience, shown in their UFC 305 bout, would carry him. He noted:
“That’s where he [du Plessis] finished me in Round 4 [at UFC 305], because I thought, ‘I got him now’, but he juts finds a way to get his third wind, fourth wind, but yeah, Khamzat made sure he didn’t even get the first wind and just smothered him… [The score was] 50-44, that was crazy. Khamzat, [the] new middleweight champion, the division is in good hands.”
Israel Adesanya says the middleweight division is ‘in good hands’ with Khamzat as champion 💪
🎥 @stylebender #UFC319pic.twitter.com/lbpjcKV54s
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 17, 2025
Chimaev became the 15th UFC fighter to win an undisputed title while undefeated.
Khamzat Chimaev has risen quickly in the UFC, entering the promotion unbeaten. At 15-0, he joins a select group of undefeated middleweight champions, a club that includes fighters like Chris Weidman and Israel Adesanya himself. UFC 319 marked his first title, and it cemented him as a rising force in the division.
