Undefeated middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev has a history of being unreliable, thanks to a combination of scale fails and mysterious illnesses. That’s why the promotion booked a backup fighter for the UFC 319 pay-per-view (PPV) main event this Sat. night (Aug. 16, 2025) at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

His services are no longer needed.

That’s because Chimaev successfully made the middleweight mark. In fact, “Borz” came in two pounds under at 183, a surprisingly number considering the former welterweight needed the dreaded box of shame to weigh in. Regardless, his Dricus du Plessis title fight is now official for “The Windy City.”

Chimaev had the box (but no pizza).

“Saying that I became everything people thought Khamzat would be, I agree with that. That’s because I’m built differently. I’ll show that again on the 16th,” Du Plessis told CBS Sports. “If you look at our records, Khamzat has eight wins in the UFC and I have nine. Go compare our resumes, it’s ridiculous. From a wrestling and grappling perspective, he does not do something that hasn’t been seen before. I don’t think there’s been a lot of guys that do it the way I do it. And when it comes to pure wrestling and pure grappling, of course, Khamzat is amazing, but this is different… It’s not wrestling and it’s not grappling. It’s MMA.”

For complete UFC 319 weigh ins results and video click here.

LIVE! Watch UFC 319 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE CAR CRASH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its 2025 pay-per-view (PPV) schedule on Sat., Aug. 16, 2025, with a blockbuster title fight set to headline UFC 319 from inside United Center in Chicago, Illinois. In UFC 319’s PPV main event, Middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, defends his title against undefeated No. 3-ranked contender, Khamzat Chimaev, in a high-stakes, five-round battle of unbeaten UFC records. UFC 319’s PPV co-main event features a Featherweight showdown between Lerone Murphyand promotional newcomer, Aaron Pico, a high-profile free-agent signing stepping in on short notice. UFC 319 will also showcase a Welterweight clash between Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates, a Middleweight bout pitting Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page, a Flyweight matchup featuring Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura, and much more! UFC 319’s start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (“Early Prelims”), 8 p.m. ET (“Prelims” undercard), and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card)

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

Where to Buy:

• Check price at STREAM UFC 319

For much more on this weekend’s UFC 319 PPV event click here.

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