Dricus Du Plessis looks to defend his middleweight title belt as Khamzat Chimaev looks to remain undefeated and claim the championship during UFC 319.

Dricus Du Plessis says he has used a mental coach for the past eight years and that it’ll pay off when he fights Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. Chimaev is expected to take Du Plessis down early, and the reigning middleweight champion shrugged it off.

UFC 319 goes down Saturday night with a highly anticipated middleweight championship fight atop the bill, and MMA Junkie Radio's "Gorgeous" George and "Goze" will host a live-streamed watch-along right here at 8 p.m. ET.

With UFC 319 officially a wrap after a memorable night (Sat., Aug. 16, 2025) of fights live on ESPN+ PPV from inside United Center in Chicago, Illinois, fight fans can now check out the post-fight press conference video above for all the best reaction and official bonus winners.

Du Plessis has been one of the most dominant fighters over the past couple of years. Since his first fight in the UFC in 2020, the South African contestant has not lost a match, winning the Middleweight belt at UFC 290 in 2023. He has since defended the title thrice, two wins coming by decision.

Tonight's UFC 319 card concludes the promotion's summer pay-per-view schedule, spanning four events. As has been well-documented, the main event sees Dricus du Plessis defend his UFC Middleweight Championship vs. Khamzat Chimaev to conclude a stacked 12-fight card.

This is the UFC 319 live blog for Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico, the co-main event featherweight bout Saturday at United Center in Chicago. Murphy (16-0-1) has put together an unbeaten run—including nine UFC fights—that has positioned him as the No.