Du Plessis vs. Chimaev to headline UFC 319 in August

Dricus Du Plessis will defend his middleweight championship against Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 319 main event Aug. 16 in Chicago, UFC CEO Dana White announced Tuesday.

Du Plessis is coming off a successful title defense against Sean Strickland at UFC 312 in February, winning the fight by unanimous decision. That was the 31-year-old's second title defense since winning the belt off Strickland at UFC 297 in January 2024. He defeated Israel Adesanya by submission at UFC 305 in his first title defense.

Du Plessis is 9-0 in the UFC since making his debut for the company in 2020.

Chimaev has also not lost in the UFC and holds an overall MMA record of 14-0. Six of his victories have come via knockout with another six coming by submission and the final two via decision.

The Russian fighter has defeated Robert Whittaker, Kamaru Usman, Kevin Holland, and Gilbert Burns since 2022.