A middleweight title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev will headline UFC 319, UFC CEO Dana White announced Tuesday.
The pay-per-view event will take place Aug. 16 at United Center in Chicago. It will mark the UFC's first card in Chicago since 2019.
Du Plessis (23-2), of South Africa, will be seeking his third title defense. He won the belt in a split decision against Sean Strickland in 2024 and has recorded two defenses, against Israel Adesanya and a rematch against Strickland. He is on an 11-fight win streak, including a 9-0 record in the UFC.
For Chimaev (14-0), this title fight has been a long time coming. The Chechen contender broke onto the scene in 2020, winning his first two fights in the UFC in the span of 10 days. But he has struggled to remain active because of a variety of issues. In 2020, he publicly contemplated retirement because of health issues stemming from COVID-19.
The 31-year-old has been dominant when active. He is coming off a first-round submission of former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in October, in which Whittaker failed to land a single strike. He also holds notable wins against Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland.
