CHICAGO -- Khamzat Chimaev was essentially crowned a future UFC champ from the moment he made his promotional debut in 2020. Five years later, he finally made good on those early expectations.
Chimaev (15-0) claimed the middleweight championship at UFC 319 on Saturday night inside United Center, in a dominant showing over Dricus Du Plessis (23-3). Du Plessis denied Chimaev a finish but rarely offered any resistance otherwise.
The result was one of the most lopsided five-round fights in UFC history. According to UFC Stats, Chimaev outlanded Du Plessis in total strikes 510-56.