Dricus Du
Plessis’ opponent for his next title defense has been set for a
while. It was simply a matter of selecting a date and venue.
On Tuesday, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Du Plessis will
defend his middleweight belt against No. 1 contender Khamzat
Chimaev in the
UFC 319 headliner. The card takes place on Aug. 16 at the
United Center in Chicago, marking the promotion’s first trip to the
city since 2019.
Du Plessis is unbeaten in his last 11 professional outings, a
streak that dates back to before his Octagon debut. “Stillknocks”
become the 185-pound champ at UFC 297, when he took a split vedict
over Sean
Strickland. The South African has since defended the throne
with victories over Israel
Adesanya and in a rematch with Strickland.
Chimaev, meanwhile, is 2-0 since moving up to 185 pounds after
weight-cut issues forced him to leave the welterweight division.
His middleweight debut came at UFC 294, where he took a majority
decision against former welterweight champ Kamaru
Usman in October 2023. “Borz” then solidified his position as
No. 1 contender with a first-round submission of Robert
Whittaker at UFC 308. The 31-year-old owns a 14-0 career mark,
with all but two of his victories coming inside the distance.
