The main event of UFC 319 ended up being incredibly one-sided, surprising fans who found it difficult to predict the outcome.

Not many expected that Khamzat Chimaev would beat Dricus du Plessis by completely dominating the champion over five rounds.

The South African had no answer for the dominant wrestling of his opponent, which allowed him to entirely dictate the bout from start to finish.

While there wasn’t a finish to really put a stamp on his performance, Chimaev still broke records in what many believed would be his toughest test.

‘Borz’ has developed a reputation for being so in control inside the Octagon that he proves this by talking to various people while fighting and this was no different on Saturday night.

Khamzat Chimaev’s (@KChimaev) 529 total strikes landed vs Dricus Du Plessis are a new @UFC record.

He earned 21:40 of control time, 2nd most in a UFC fight (22:18 by Sean Sherk vs Hermes Franca).

Complete #UFC319 Main Card Results ➡️ https://t.co/69LHKjPUVp

— UFC News (@UFCNews) August 17, 2025

View Tweet

Khamzat Chimaev provided words of encouragement for Dricus du Plessis and his team during the fight

During his post-fight press conference after becoming the middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev was asked about not being able to finish Dricus du Plessis.

‘Borz’ was questioned on whether this surprised him with how dominant he was over ‘Stillknocks’ across the five round duration.

Chimaev responded expressing happiness at being able to compete for the full 25 minutes, having fun with his performance rather than trying to end it as quickly as possible.

“No, I just working on him so I had some cool time out there. Just spoke with him, spoke with his coach middle of the fight, was happy.”

Chimaev was then asked what he was saying to du Plessis and his team inside the Octagon, having done similar things in the past.

While in complete control of a fighter that was previously undefeated in the UFC, he gave them some words of encouragement.

“I said good job, work harder guys.”

Khamzat Chimaev worried for his black belt after not submitting Dricus du Plessis

There were moments at UFC 319 where in previous fights, Khamzat Chimaev has been able to finish his opponents when he gets them in those positions.

He specifically emphasized this in the closing moments of the fight to try and cap off his performance with a submission.

When Chimaev was asked why he thinks he wasn’t able to put Dricus du Plessis away, ‘Borz’ spoke about making a mistake that had him questioning whether his jiu-jitsu coach would penalize him for it.

“Just because I was sweating. I went out there in the last 30 seconds and tried to finish him. I heard my corner say 30 seconds, that means to go to meet him. So, I tried but I made a mistake. Thankful for my coach, he gives the black belt, but I was like, when I went under, [maybe] I don’t have a black belt now.”