Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis will put his title on the line against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev, the No. 3 ranked contender in his fight title fight, in the main event at UFC 319 on Aug. 16 in Chicago.
South Africa’s du Plessis (23-2), who claimed the title with a split-decision victory over Sean Strickland in January 2024 and has not lost since October 2018, will attempt to knock Chimaev from the ranks of the unbeaten. In a unanimous decision in February, Du Plessis won the rematch against Strickland and also has victories over former titleholders Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.
Chimaev (14-0) is coming off a first-round submission of Whittaker in October and has also taken down Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman. Chimaev, who fights out of the United Arab Emirates by way of Chechnya, Russia, is a powerful wrestler and striker who has six submission victories under his belt.
Also on the bill is a middleweight bout pitting No. 7 ranked contender Jared Cannonier (18-8) of Glendale, Ariz., against Michael “Venom” Page (23-3) of London, England. Coming off an impressive TKO of Gregory Rodrigues in February, Cannonier is a perennial middleweight contender looking for a shot at the Top 5 and boasts wins over Strickland, Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori.
Already holding wins over Paul Daley, Douglas Lima and Kevin Holland, Page notched an impressive victory over Shara Magomedov in February via unanimous decision, and looks to improve his chances to earn a title shot with a win over Cannonier.
–UFC 312 Main Card:
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev, middleweight
Jared Cannonier vs. Michael “Venom” Page, middleweight
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk, middleweight
Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose, lightweight
King Green vs. Diego Ferreira, lightweight
Karine Silva vs. JJ Aldrich, women’s flyweight
Bryan Battle vs. Nursulton Ruziboev, middleweight
Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura, flyweight
Chase Hooper vs. Alexander Hernandez, lightweight
Jessica Andrade vs. Loopy Godinez, women’s strawweight
–Field Level Media
