Khamzat Chimaev, Russian-Emirati mixed martial undefeated artist became the new UFC middleweight champion and won UFC 319: du Plessis vs Chimaev battle against defending title holder, Dricus Du Plessis (DDP), in United Center, Chicago.
The undisputed arena winner received a 50-44 fight score from all three judges and conquered each round of the five-round match. The victory extended hisUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC) unbeaten streak to 15 wins till to date.
Du Plessis, suffering his first UFC loss while defending his middleweight championship belt for the third time, fell to 23-3 in his Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) career.
Chimaev wrapped the UAE flag around himself in celebration to win and expressed:“I never have a game plan, just go in and work like in the gym.”
The dual citizenship holder praised his opponent, known as DDP: “That guy is strong. I couldn’t finish him. I respect that.”
The 31-year-old, Chechen fighter converted 12 of 17 take-down attempts and balanced control for 84% of the ‘Decision- R5 05:00’ clash.
Chimaev, who debuted in the UFC in 2020, has previously defeated former champions Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker. His historic win at UFC 319 is considered as one of the most powerful title performances in middleweight history.