Last night (Sat., Aug. 16, 2025), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to United Center in Chicago, Illinois, for UFC 319. We have to consider ourselves lucky that in a fight week that suffered three cancellations, main event superstar Khamzat Chimaev was not among them. Both “Borz” and Dricus Du Plessis showed up healthy and in shape, and it’s hard to say much else mattered. Plus, we gained one fight also, leaving us with 12 bouts total and more than a handful of ranked combatants ready to go to war.
What else could a fight fan want? Let’s take a look back over the best performances and techniques of the evening:
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 16: Khamzat Chimaev of the United Arab Emirates throws Dricus du Plessis of South Africa during their middleweight title bout in UFC 319 at the United Center on August 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) Getty Images
All Domination, No Damage
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Dricus Du Plessis was utterly one-sided.
Everybody expected “Borz” to land the early takedown. The fact that Chimaev could take down “DDP” was no surprise. The surprising bit in my eyes was the complete inability of Du Plessis to get any kind of a scramble going. Chimaev spent the vast majority of this fight simply resting in really good positions, using very little energy in the process. He still fights with a generally unsustainable hyperactivity, but Du Plessis never managed push his gas tank while on the canvas.
As a result, Chimaev never stopped dominating position. Du Plessis managed one last great and hilarious surge in the final minute of the final round, cracking Chimaev and momentarily putting himself in position for the rear naked choke comeback win. That would have been a truly unprecedented amount of “DDP” magic, but Chimaev had enough energy in reserve to endure that short storm.
Part of Chimaev’s newfound five-round cardio was his passivity on the floor. He was fully content to land a dozen little punches that didn’t do anything in order to maintain top position. The strike numbers here are absolutely fluffed up and meaningless. It was quite the contrast from Anthony Hernandez’s ground strikes a week ago, when “Fluffy” tried to break his foe’s nose with every single punch.
Simultaneously, the performance was an all-time great showing from a title challenger and a bit of a bore. It’s a weird win for Chimaev, and one wonders how his star power will be affected moving forward.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 16: Lerone Murphy of England knocks out Aaron Pico in a featherweight fight during the UFC 319 event at the United Center on August 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)
The Matador Kills The Bull
Aaron Pico showed off his greatness and Achilles’ Heel in just three minutes of action.
From the first bell, Pico’s physicality and dominance were on display. He hurt Lerone Murphy early with a left hook to the body and bullied him, chasing him around the cage with takedowns and vicious shots. He’s a stunning combination of power and speed, and he commits to every shot with downright nasty intentions.
… Therein lies the problem. Twice, Murphy timed Pico as he stepped forward, meeting him with a huge knee and a counter punch. Pico made no adjustment and continued to charge forward like a horse escaping its barn. Subsequently, Murphy was able to time a PERFECT spinning elbow that landed directly on the side of Pico’s temple, instantly separating him from his senses.
This is Pico’s issue in MMA. At the elite level, bringing your A Game is almost never enough to just immediately fold one’s opposition. Pico doesn’t adjust to his opponents, he just tries to overwhelm them.
Compare his performance to Josh Emmett, the last man to fight Lerone Murphy and a fearsome puncher by any metric. Emmett lost a close decision, because he tried to work his way inside then find the knockout punch. It didn’t ultimately work, but this fight should serves as a clear example of why a knockout artist like Emmett still has to respect the threat in front of him.
No matter your accomplishments or physical gifts, you cannot disregard your opponent at the highest levels.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 16: (L-R) Carlos Prates of Brazil punches Geoff Neal in a welterweight fight during the UFC 319 event at the United Center on August 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
Carlos Prates has never looked better than he did last night against Geoff Neal.
The Brazilian slugger had no fear in exchanging with “Handz of Steel,” who showed up ready to throw down and certainly landed some decent shots. Time and time again, however, Prates demonstrated greater comfort in the pocket. He stuck Neal with lots of long jabs then got behind his shoulders, shrugging off the counter fire and landing his check hook often.
The other big difference here was offensive variety. Neal was mostly throwing 1-2s and inside low kicks, whereas Prates worked in combination, chopped the lead leg, attacked on the counter, and mixed knees into his offense. Once he found his range, he really began to chew up Neal up on all levels, hurting him to the legs, mid-section, and upstairs.
Prates is a fighter whose success only snowballs. Once he started hurting his opponent, he was able to set up a masterful spinning elbow, becoming the first man to knock out Neal in the UFC. I saw a few “FRAUD CHECK” claims after Prates’ loss to Ian Garry — INSANE and WRONG!
Perhaps Ian Garry is just quite good? Two of his best wins (Prates and Michael Page) had very strong showings on this card.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 16: (L-R) Tim Elliott secures a guillotine choke submission against Kai Asakura of Japan in a flyweight fight during the UFC 319 event at the United Center on August 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
Tim Elliott Weathers The Storm
The first five minutes of Elliott’s fight versus Kai Asakura did not go smoothly.
The Japanese striker absolutely smashed Elliott with heavy power punches, using the threat of his right hand to line up the left hook over and over again. Elliott, for his part, did a lot of stance-switching and feinting without attempting any actual offense. He didn’t try particularly hard to wrestle or strike really. He did prove that he still has a brick chin at 38 years of age though! Elliott didn’t have any trouble tanking Asakura’s shots, including a high kick that bounced right off his head.
In round two, Elliott got the wrestling going, and the fight shifted dramatically. He timed two takedowns well, really establishing his control after the second double leg. Once on the canvas, Elliott reminded everyone watching that he’s one of the very best on the floor, wrapping up a nasty guillotine choke. He rolled his way into mount and just crushed Asakura with the squeeze, forcing the finish for one of his best career victories.
Elliott is an oddball, but he’s still shockingly good at this stage of his career.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 16: Joseph Morales celebrates a second round submission win in a flyweight bout against Alibi Idiris at UFC 319 at the United Center on August 16, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) Getty Images
An Ultimate Fighter Is Crowned
Joseph Morales entered his Flyweight TUF Finale fight versus Alibi Idiris as a nearly 4-1 underdog. Given Idiris cool weigh-ins hat and shredded physique, who could blame the odds makers?
The actual fight didn’t go so smoothly for the formerly undefeated Kazakh prospect. Morales put the pressure on him from the first bell, meeting wild offense with straight punches down the middle. He wrestled hard as well, working at the Idiris gas tank. When Idiris tried to spin, Morales used that opening to score a takedown midway through the first, and he nearly secured a rear naked choke as the bell closed.
By the start of round two, Idiris was tired. Morales didn’t let him off the hook, clubbing him with right hands and taking his punches to the mid-section often as well. He floored Idiris, took the back again, and then fell off … directly into a picture-perfect triangle choke! All in all, it was dominant work from Morales, who has never looked better in his previous UFC stint or recent TUF run.
On a personal note: I’ve trained with “Bopo” for many years. The man has overcome so many injuries and surgeries since his unjust 2018 UFC release, which saw him cut off a knockout loss to some bum named Deiveson Figueiredo and then a split-decision defeat when UFC was trying to axe the whole division. It’s inspiring to see him back on the big stage, where he’s belonged for an awful long time.
Baisangur Susurkaev defeats Eric Nolan via second-round rear naked choke (highlights): It’s hard not to have mixed feelings on this match up. On one hand, Susurkaev cut weight twice and secured two finishes in six days. That’s an absurd accomplishment! At the same time, the undefeated Russian was playing the role of cocky punk opposite a blown up Welterweight who also accepted the fight on short-notice. Nolan boxed Susurkaev up on more than one occasion in the first, nearly knocking him down at the bell. A Susurkaev low kick tore something in Nolan’s knee early in round two, leaving him easy pickings for the submission win afteward. Susurkaev walks away with a cool accomplishment, but is anyone feeling particularly hype after that showing?Michał Oleksiejczuk defeats Gerald Meerschaert via first-round knockout (highlights): This stylistic clash turned out to be a one-sided drubbing. “GM3” wanted absolutely no part of the Polish boxer standing, so he was left diving for legs without the athleticism or wresting prowess to generate any success with that strategy. Oleksiejczuk denied every takedown attempt with ease and repeatedly ripped the ribs, leaving Meerschaert vulnerable to some clubbing power shots upstairs.Alexander Hernandez defeats Chase Hooper via first-round knockout (highlights): The athleticism gap was simply huge here. Hernandez used his speed patiently, moving around the Octagon and letting the longer man chase him. Hooper wants a high-volume fight, and Hernandez wouldn’t give it to him. As Hooper pushed harder, the openings become wider until Hernandez sat down on a perfect counter right hand that sent his opponent to the canvas. A few well-placed follow up shots ended Hooper’s night for good, awarindg Hernandez his first knockout win since October 2021.
For complete UFC 319 results, coverage, and highlights, click here.