UFC 319: Khamzat Chimaev to face Du Plessis for middleweight title

UFC 319 is set to take place on August 16, 2025, at the United Centre in Chicago. The much-anticipated match features a middleweight title fight between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.

The title fight is a war between the champion and a challenger, the two unbeatable forces of the octagon.

Chimaev secured the first title fight of his UFC career after defeating Robert Whittaker by a vicious face-crank submission in the first round at UFC 308 last year. 

The Russian fighter, famous for his grappling, showed respect towards Du Plessis and acknowledged his willingness to fight everyone.

Du Plessis, who is going to defend the middleweight title, acknowledged the world-class grappling of the Borz, but holds a different view on their matchup. In an interview with Fox 32 Chicago, he said:

“Khamzat (is) obviously world-class in wrestling and grappling, but at this level of the sport, everybody is world-class.” 

He added, “This is not grappling or wrestling; this is MMA. We’re not fighting for the wrestling title…. we are fighting for the UFC title, and that’s where I’m the best.”

Except for the title fight between the two, there are other exciting matchups across multiple weight classes in the preliminary and main cards.

The undefeated Lerone Murphy is going to face a debut fighter, Aaron Pico, in the featherweight division. The winner will move forward for the title shot.

The main card face-off in the middleweight division is between the heavy-handed Jared Cannonier and Michael Venom Page, who is known for his unique striking style.

The UFC 319 will broadcast:

• Early Prelims: Start at 6:00 PM ET on Disney+/ESPN+

• Prelims: Begin at 8:00 PM ET on Disney+/ESPN+/ESPN

• Main Card: The pay-per-view part of the event begins at 10:00 PM ET on ESPN+

The UFC is set to hold a pre-fight press conference, which will be streamed live on its YouTube channel.

Where can I watch UFC 319?

You can join the main event between Du Plessis vs Chimaev at the United Centre, Chicago. Otherwise, ESPN+ / Disney+ will broadcast the event.