(Geoff Stellfox via Getty Images)
Dricus du Plessis wanted Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. He got him. He suffered for it. Historically.
In a display of dominance that outdid even his path to the title, Chimaev spent five rounds smothering the life out of what was once an impressive champion, winning by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44) to take the UFC middleweight belt.
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Yes, 50-44, times three.
It took seven seconds for Chimaev to get du Plessis on the ground. Going off unofficial stats, he landed 12 of 17 takedown attempts and had 21:40 of ground control time in a 25-minute fight. Du Plessis had previously spent 4:56 of time in bottom position in his five-year UFC career, then spent 4:46 there in the first round.
The best that can be said for du Plessis is he found his legs in the fifth round and made it even in the final two minutes. The rest of the fight was a demoralizing, overwhelming display of power from a man who now appears poised to toy with the middleweight division for years to come.
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The main event could have not had a better lead-in. The third fight of the main card ended in epic fashion when Carlos Prates landed a spinning back elbow to the dome of Geoff Neal for a knockout in the final second of the first round, the ninth spinning back elbow KO in UFC history.
That would have been a special moment, and then Lerone Murphy did the exact same thing. He welcomed UFC newcomer Aaron Pico with a first-round spinning back elbow KO. Both fighters immediately received a $50,000 bonus and the opportunity to call their shot for their next fight.
It looks like Prates will get a spot on the upcoming Rio de Janeiro card in October — he called out Leon Edwards as an opponent — while UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski accepted a challenge from Murphy via social media.
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Check out full UFC 319 results and highlights below.
Main Card results
Middleweight championship: Khamzat Chimaev def. Dricus du Plessis by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44)
Featherweight: Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico by KO (spinning back elbow) at 3:21 of Round 1
Welterweight: Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal by KO (spinning back elbow) at 4:59 of Round 1Middleweight: Michael Page def. Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Flyweight: Tim Elliott def. Kai Asakura by submission (guillotine) at 4:39 of Round 2
Middleweight: Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric Nolan by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:01 of Round 2Middleweight: Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Gerald Meerschaert by TKO (punches) at 3:03 of Round 1Women’s strawweight: Loopy Godinez def. Jessica Andrade by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight: Alex Hernandez def. Chase Hooper by TKO (punches) at 4:58 of Round 1
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Lightweight: Drakkar Klose def. Edson Barboza by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Women’s flyweight: Karine Silva def. Dione Barbosa by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Flyweight: Joseph Morales def. Alibi Idiris by submission (triangle choke) at 3:04 of Round 2
