CHICAGO -- UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis will battle his opponent as well as what figures to be a hostile crowd when he defends his title against Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319 on Saturday.

At the pre-match promotion on Thursday, du Plessis was faced with a gathering of mostly Chimaev supporters. The 31-year-old South African champion will be fighting on U.S. soil for the first time since 2023, a year after his 31-year-old Russian challenger last competed in the United States.

du Plessis (23-2 MMA), the betting underdog against the undefeated Chimaev (14-0 MMA), kept a rather calm demeanor on Thursday and did his best to drown out the boos, even though it wasn't an easy task.

UFC is returning to Chicago for the first time since June 2019 and this will be the

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