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 sai

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