Dricus du Plessis is returning to the octagon very soon.
Dricus du Plessis is fresh off a big win over Sean Strickland at UFC 312, but his work is not done in 2025. That’s because Dana White has confirmed that the UFC Middleweight Champion will defend his title against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319.
This news isn't much of a surprise as Khamzat has been tearing through the middleweight division. He’s coming off a very impressive win over former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. That was followed up by a strong win against another former champion, Kamaru Usman, at UFC 294. That win should’ve gotten him at title shot at UFC 300, but Khamzat wasn’t a happy man about not being considered as the top contender and implied that he has no interest in another fight unless it’s for the title.
"Who else is going to fight him,” Chimaev said in an interview with ESPN, as noted by MMA Fighting. “Israel is out until 2027. All of these guys fought each other. It’s only me who is undefeated and undisputed, so I don’t know. They promised me after the Usman fight that [I] will for sure fight for the title, and I won that fight. I don’t know what’s going on.
“I heard Dana White said that, ‘I don’t think Khamzat is next for the title,’ that’s the bullsh*t, man.”
“If you promised me something, you have to answer for your words, and I’m the guy who always answers for my words,” Chimaev said, addressing the UFC brass. “I don’t care if it’s some president, or a king, if you give me [your] word, you have to answer for that.”
While the decision to do a rematch against Sean Strickland was certainly questionable, there was no way that White could deny him a title fight following his win over Whittaker. Khamzat has been making waves since his UFC debut back in 2020 against John Phillips. As of right now, his professional record stands at 14 wins and 0 losses.
Dricus du Plessis may not be undefeated, but he’s certainly proved himself as a champion by successfully defending his title twice. He’s also undefeated within the UFC, so unless a draw happens, one fighter will suffer their first loss within the promotion. This should be an excellent fight and UFC 319 has easily been bumped up as a highly anticipated show because of this main event.