Khamzat Chimaev is set to finally claim the UFC championship anticipated since his debut in 2020. Chimaev will take on UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 scheduled for August 16 in Chicago.
On Tuesday, UFC CEO Dana White announced this significant title matchup during an Instagram Live session. In the same stream, he revealed the main event for UFC 317 featuring Ilia Topuria facing Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title vacated by Islam Makhachev.
Du Plessis (23-2) has surpassed expectations as the reigning champion, marking a stellar career with nine victories in UFC, six of them stoppages. He earned his title shot by knocking out Robert Whittaker and later defeated Sean Strickland to become the titleholder. His first title defense was against Israel Adesanya, which he won via submission before defeating Strickland a second time.
Meanwhile, Chimaev (14-0) secured his title shot after a brutal submission of Whittaker back in October, which left Whittaker with significant injuries. Chimaev boasts an impressive UFC record of 8-0 with seven finishes and also a notable victory by decision over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
The middleweights have frequently shared their thoughts about each other publicly. Du Plessis boldly stated to CBS Sports that he is confident in his abilities to deal with Chimaev’s wrestling, a skill revered as one of the best in the sport. He emphasizes, “I’m not scared of Khamzat’s wrestling. I’m not evading. I’m going to fight Khamzat wherever the fight goes.”
Neither competitor has suffered a loss after joining the UFC.
