“Khamzat has him crucifixed. DDP is bucking,” journalist Nolan King tweeted as the Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight at UFC 319 unfolded inside the United Center in Chicago in front of 20,023 fans. That single post, fittingly, summed up the entire bout. From the opening bell, ‘Borz’ imposed his will, smothering ‘Stillknocks’ with relentless takedowns and suffocating top control. Du Plessis had little to offer against Chimaev’s grappling clinic.

The Chechen native completed 12 of 17 takedown attempts, repeatedly trapping his opponent in a crucifix and unleashing strikes. Each time the South African found the faintest rhythm, Khamzat Chimaev immediately shut it down—dragging him back to the canvas and pinning him with knees across the back, waist, and legs. The result was a grinding display of dominance that left little room for striking exchanges or back-and-forth action.

“Listen, I don’t know how hard they are, and I don’t wanna f—ing know how hard they are,” Dana White told a reporter at the post-fight press conference when asked about Chimaev’s punches from the crucifix position, which had appeared less damaging than expected. “Nobody wants to be in the crucifix and getting punched in the head like that. It’s gotta be the most frustrating you know… suck the heart and soul right out of you type thing to happen.”

At the same time, White warned he wasn’t thrilled with the strategy, calling it tough to watch. “Just getting dominated on the ground, the way that he did, is no fun for anybody,” White said. Still, the event was a financial success, pulling in $11.05 million at the gate—the highest ever for the venue. And while the action may not have been electrifying, the toll on Dricus Du Plessis was clear. “I mean, his face was pretty busted up. The knees that he was taking to the body and to the legs and the hips, it’s gonna be a long ride home to South Africa,” White said in the presser.

Regardless, the fight proved that Chimaev is perhaps the best fighter in the middleweight division, now having won the UFC middleweight title. But this middleweight contender thinks that he is the only one who can put an end to Chimaev’s terror. 

Khamzat Chimaev gets called out after mauling Dricus Du Plessis

After what seemed like Chimaev rag-dolling Du Plessis for 5 rounds straight, the latter’s former opponent has come out of the woodworks to stake his claim at a shot at Chimaev. Du Plessis has defeated the likes of Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, and Sean Strickland, but Strickland feels he has what it takes to get rid of Chimaev. 

“I’m probably the only one in the UFC that can outgrapple that little w—- for 5 rounds,” Strickland wrote on X after the fight. “You understand that I’ve done it on many occasions… on every occasion.” Strickland added that in the gym, Chimaev would “have a solid 4 minutes of dry-humping my legs and then utterly break.”

With UFC 319, Khamzat Chimaev has launched himself at the top of UFC’s middleweight division. It would be interesting to see how long he stays there and whether there’s anyone who can bring him down a notch or two. What did you think of the fight?