UFC 319: Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev: Full results

UFC 319 just wrapped up. The pay-per-view event took place on Aug. 16 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, marking the promotion's first visit to the city since UFC 238 in June 2019. The event featured 12 fights across seven weight classes, including a highly anticipated title fight. This article summarizes the fights and explores the UFC 319 full results.

In the main event, UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis attempted his third title defense against No.4-ranked contender Khamzat Chimaev. The fight pitted du Plessis' unorthodox fighting style against Chimaev's dominant wrestling-heavy skill set.

The fight was almost entirely contested on the ground. Chimaev was able to secure takedowns in each of the five rounds and control du Plessis on the mat for long stretches.

While du Plessis failed to defend the takedowns and found himself trapped in the bottom position, he avoided damaging shots and defended against submission attempts.

After five rounds, all three judges scored the contest in Chimaev's favor, declaring him the winner by unanimous decision.

In the co-main event, No.6-ranked featherweight contender Lerone Murphy faced newcomer and former Bellator top contender Aaron Pico on relatively short notice.

Pico adopted an aggressive stance, overwhelming Murphy with takedown attempts and close-range strikes. However, Murphy stayed composed under pressure and began to time his counterattacks with knees, elbows and punches, intercepting Pico as he came forward.

As the round progressed, Pico's attempts appeared to be becoming repetitive and predictable. Murphy seized the opportunity to deliver a devastating spinning back elbow, knocking Pico out on impact at the 3:21 mark of Round 1.

In an explosive showdown, top 15 welterweight contenders Geoff Neal and Carlos Prates faced off to climb the rankings ladder.

The fight played out similarly to the co-main event, as Neal applied pressure early, primarily targeting his opponent's head. Meanwhile, Prates focused on alleviating this pressure through movement, cage-cutting and a variety of attacks to the legs, body and head.

After the mid-way point of Round 1, Neal struggled to close the distance, while Prates began to land with increasing impact and accuracy. In the closing seconds of the first frame, Prates surprised Neal with a spinning back elbow, knocking him out on impact. No follow-up strikes were necessary.

Former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier tested himself against Michael 'Venom' Page's elusive striking in another main card bout.

Page showcased his trademark fluid style, hurting Cannonier on the feet while making him miss for the majority of the first two rounds. However, Cannonier was able to secure a takedown in Round 3 and control 'Venom' on the ground for most of the round.

All three judges scored two of the three rounds in Page's favor, declaring him the winner by unanimous decision.

In the main card opening bout, veteran flyweight contender Tim Elliott fought former Rizin title holder Kai Asakura.

Elliott, who entered the fight after a long layoff, took his time to open up as Asakura landed some impactful strikes in the opening frame. However, the Japanese fighter's takedown defense did not hold up when Elliott went for it later in the round.

In Round 2, Elliott was able to secure another takedown and transition to a mounted guillotine choke, forcing Asakura to tap.

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UFC 319: Preliminary card results

In the preliminary card headlining bout, Baisangur Susurkaev, a graduate of 'Dana White's Contender Series' (DWCS) faced former CFFC welterweight champion Eric Nolan.

Round 1 was closely contested, with both fighters having their moments. However, Nolan landed a right hand and follow-up strikes in the closing seconds of the round, putting the DWCS graduate on shaky legs.

In Round 2, Susurkaev made the adjustments, took the fight to the ground and forced Nolan to tap out to a rear-naked choke.

Also, Michal Oleksiejczuk scored his second consecutive win by knocking out Gerald Meerschaert in Round 1. Oleksiejczuk established his dominance with aggressive striking, dropping Meerschaert with a left hand. He followed Meerschaert to the ground and continued to deliver damaging ground-and-pound strikes until referee Herb Dean intervened to stop the fight.

Meanwhile, Loopy Godinez outworked former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade to secure a unanimous decision win.

Alexander Hernandez snapped Chase Hooper's five-fight win streak with a first-round knockout. Toward the end of a competitive Round 1, Hernandez dropped Hooper with a sharp straight right. As Hooper tried to grab his legs to survive, Hernandez landed a few more strikes, prompting the referee to stop the fight.

In the early prelims headlining bout, Edson Barboza experienced a unanimous decision defeat against Drakkar Klose. While Barboza had his moments throughout the contest, Klose maintained the lead and won two rounds on all three judges' scorecards.

Elsewhere, Karine Silva utilized her striking to secure a unanimous decision win over Dione Barbosa.

In the first fight of the night, Joseph Morales employed his grappling to control Alibi Idiris for the majority of Round 1. He managed to take the fight to the ground in Round 2 and locked a tight triangle choke, forcing Idiris to tap out. With this victory, Morales became 'The Ultimate Fighter' flyweight champion.

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Check out the UFC 319 full results below:

Main card

Main event: Middleweight - Khamzat Chimaev def. Dricus du Plessis (c) by unanimous decision (50-44 X 3) (Undisputed middleweight title fight)

Co-main event: Featherweight - Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico by T/KO (R1, 3:21)

Welterweight - Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal by T/KO (R1, 4:59)

Middleweight - Michael Page def. Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (29-28 X 3)

Flyweight - Tim Elliott def. Kai Asakura by submission (Mounted guillotine choke) (R2, 4:39)

Preliminary card

Middleweight - Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric Nolan by submission (Rear-naked choke) (R2, 2:01)

Middleweight - Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Gerald Meerschaert by T/KO (R1, 3:03)

Women's strawweight - Loopy Godinez def. Jessica Andrade by unanimous decision (29-28 X 3)

Lightweight - Alexander Hernandez def. Chase Hooper by T/KO (R1, 4:58)

Early prelims

Lightweight - Drakkar Klose def. Edson Barboza by unanimous decision (29-28 X 3)

Women's flyweight - Karine Silva def. Dione Barbosa by unanimous decision (29-28 X 3)

Flyweight - Joseph Morales def. Alibi Idiris by submission (Triangle choke) (R2, 3:04)