Khamzat Chimaev is finally a UFC champion after dismantling Dricus du Plessis over five dominant rounds to claim middleweight gold in the UFC 319 main event. The narrative going in was supposed to be Chimaev’s explosive start versus du Plessis’ durability and late-fight resilience. Instead, none of that came into play as Chimaev repeatedly dragged du Plessis to the canvas and controlled him with suffocating pressure. Though he never found the finish, his dominance was unquestionable.

Du Plessis offered little offensively as Khamzat Chimaev’s relentless ground game smothered any hope of a comeback, ultimately costing him the title. The judges scored it 50-44 across the board, cementing the 13-0 as the new middleweight king. The stat line was staggering, Chimaev outlanded du Plessis 5

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