UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev takes place at the United Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States and will stream live in Australia on Sunday 17th August from 12pm AEST.
Dricus Du Plessis is set to face Khamzat Chimaev in the early hours of Sunday morning as he aims to defend his middleweight championship.
The South African champion is chasing a third straight title defence, having held the belt since 2024.
Chimaev steps in as the latest challenger to try and dethrone him. The 31-year-old boasts an unbeaten record of 14 wins and is coming off a devastating first-round knockout of Robert Whittaker, in which he broke the former champion’s jaw.
For Chimaev, this is a long-awaited opportunity at UFC gold, with previous chances stalled by illness and injury over the past two years.
However, overcoming Du Plessis will be no easy task — the titleholder’s unorthodox fighting style is known to cause problems for even the most dangerous opponents.
Fight Card Breakdown
Main Event
Dricus du Plessis (c) vs. Khamzat Chimaev — Middleweight title bout, scheduled for 5 rounds
Main Card Highlights
Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico (Featherweight)—Pico makes his highly anticipated UFC debut
Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates (Welterweight)—a knock-out heavy matchup
Jared Cannonier vs. Michael “Venom” Page (MVP) (Middleweight)—classic striker vs. power matchup Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura (Flyweight)
Late Prelims
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk
Jessica Andrade vs. Lupita “Loopy” Godinez (Strawweight)
Alexander Hernandez vs. Chase Hooper
Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose
Early Prelims
Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Bryan Battle
Karine Silva vs. JJ Aldrich (Women’s Flyweight)
Baysangur Susurkaev vs. Eric Nolan—added after tw Alibi Idiris vs. Joseph Morales
Odds at a Glance (Moneyline)
Based on multiple betting sources:
Chimaev: ~–265 (strong favorite)
Du Plessis: ~+200 (underdog)
