Khamzat Chimaev gets his chance to finally become the UFC champion people predicted he’d be after his 2020 UFC debut. Chimaev will challenge UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 on Aug. 16 in Chicago.
On Tuesday, UFC CEO Dana White announced the main event title fight via Instagram Live. During the live stream, White also announced Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 for the lightweight title being vacated by Islam Makhachev.
Du Plessis (23-2) has exceeded expectations as the middleweight champion. The South African marauder, once deemed sloppy, has won nine UFC fights with six stoppages. He earned a title shot by knocking out Robert Whittaker and defeated Sean Strickland to become champion. He submitted Israel Adesanya in his first title defense before beating Strickland a second time.
Chimaev (14-0) earned his title shot by brutally submitting Whittaker in October, pushing Whittaker’s front teeth out of alignment. Chimaev is 8-0 in the UFC with seven finishes. He also holds a majority decision win over former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman.
The middleweights have spoken extensively about each other in the media. Du Plessis boldly claimed to CBS Sports that he’d take down Chimaev, a fighter lauded as arguably the sport’s best active wrestler.
“I think everyone has been moving backward trying to evade that takedown,” Du Plessis said. “No, no, no. I’m not scared of Khamzat’s wrestling. I’m not evading. I’m not trying to stay off the ground with Khamzat. That’s the mistake everyone makes. I’m going to fight Khamzat wherever the fight goes.”
Neither fighter has lost a bout since signing with the UFC.
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