Dominant Chimaev wrestles Du Plessis' title away

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. All three judges scored it 50-44 for Chimaev, who set the UFC record for most total strikes landed in a fight with 529 compared with just 45 for Du Plessis. Max Holloway held the previous mark with 447 total strikes in his 2021 win over Calvin Kattar.

"I am happy, always," Chimaev said. "I never have a game plan, just go in and work like I do in the gym. That guy is strong. I couldn't finish. I respect that guy. He is the only champion that would say my name. This guy has big heart."

Chimaev, of Chechnya, broke into the UFC in July 2020, winning his first two fights in an unprecedented 10 days. The UFC tried to put him on the fast track to a welterweight championship, but he contracted a severe case of COVID-19 in 2021 and has dealt with numerous medical and visa issues over the past four years.

When he has been active, however, he has been an unstoppable force, defeating the likes of former champions Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker. He converted 12 of 17 takedown attempts Saturday and spent more than 21 minutes of the 25-minute fight in a position of control. He took Du Plessis down in the opening minute of every single round and put him in a completely defenseless crucifix twice in the first and third rounds.

The 12 takedowns were tied for the third most in a title fight in UFC history and the most since Demetrious Johnson landed 14 in a flyweight title fight in 2015.

Du Plessis, of South Africa, smiled in between rounds, but the wear of Chimaev's pressure was apparent. He did provide a late scare in the final round, as he scrambled to the top against a tiring Chimaev and went for a guillotine. The choke sunk in for a second, but Chimaev calmly worked out of it and finished the bout on top.

"The man has incredible control on top," Du Plessis said. "It wasn't a matter of strength, it wasn't physical, it was almost like he knew what your next move was. I could almost taste that victory [with the choke], but he beat me fair and square. He was the better man tonight. I'll be coming to get my belt back, but for now, it's his. He deserves it."

The victory opens a world of options for Chimaev, 31, who started his UFC career primarily as a welterweight but has always stated he is open to competing in multiple weight classes. He told ESPN before Saturday that he believes he can easily get back down to the 170-pound welterweight limit to face the winner of an expected title fight between champion Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev. He has also expressed interest in moving up to 205 pounds. At middleweight, his most likely contenders include Nassourdine Imavov, Caio Borralho and Reinier de Ridder.

Before temporarily relocating to California to finish his UFC 319 training camp, Chimaev had not stepped foot in the U.S. since September 2022 due to visa issues. He became a citizen of the UAE in January, however, which helped him secure a visa in February, along with a change in the U.S. White House. Chimaev's visa is valid for two years, which means the travel issues that impacted his career the last several years should be resolved for now.

In the co-main event Saturday night, England's Lerone Murphy might have earned himself a featherweight title shot with a highlight-reel knockout of UFC newcomer Aaron Pico.

A former Bellator MMA standout, Pico (13-5) went into his UFC debut on Saturday with a lot of hype. There was some talk Pico could even challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC title later this year, once he got past Murphy (17-0-1). Pico had his moments in the fight, but his debut ended violently when Murphy landed a spinning back elbow that knocked him out cold at 3:21 mark.

It is by far the biggest win of Murphy's career. The 34-year-old went into the contest with an 8-0-1 mark in the UFC but carried very little fanfare. Much of that had to do with the fact his past five victories went the distance. He changed that at UFC 319.

"This sport is all about moments and I just created one," Murphy said. "I took this fight on three weeks' notice. I knew the opportunity was there. I'm next in line. Let's go, Volkanovski.

For his part, the defending champion immediately agreed to the matchup on X, writing, "See you in December [Lerone Murphy] congrats."

ESPN Research contributed to this report.