UFC 319 Recap: Chimaev’s Domination, Murphy’s Statement, and KO Chaos
For one of the most anticipated title fights of the year, few could have predicted how it actually played out.
The UFC has a new Middleweight champion. Khamzat Chimaev dominated Dricus Du Plessis on the ground with little resistance for four rounds. With 12 successful takedowns and nearly 22 minutes of control time, Chimaev smothered DDP, who showed heart in the fifth by jumping on a guillotine and then a rear-naked choke—but he couldn’t finish the comeback. The biggest betting favorite for a challenger in a UFC title fight proved the oddsmakers right and sent a message to the rest of the division get your wrestling on point.
In the co-main event, it was expected that the winner would earn a shot at reigning Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Much of the week’s hype was around the debut of Aaron Pico, while the undefeated Lerone Murphy was somewhat overlooked. That changed in a big way. Often criticized for lacking a signature moment, Murphy delivered with smart game-planning and precision.
Pico came out aggressive, ripping left hooks to the body and looking for takedowns. Murphy weathered the early storm, created space, and made him pay. A spinning back elbow caught Pico rushing in—and knocked him out cold.
Carlos Prates rebounded from his first UFC loss in spectacular fashion. He neutralized Geoff Neal’s pressure with movement, sharp angles, and vicious low kicks. Once Neal slowed down, Prates opened up—landing creative combinations punctuated by body shots and jumping knees. Then came the finish: a spinning back elbow out of nowhere that shut Neal’s lights out.
Michael Page improved to 2–0 as a UFC Middleweight with a vintage performance against #9-ranked Jared Cannonier. Page controlled the first two rounds with his trademark unorthodox style, darting in and out and landing clean right hands. Cannonier hit the mat twice but came back in round three, controlling most of the frame on top. Still, it wasn’t enough to steal the win.
After a 20-month layoff, Tim Elliott returned in triumphant fashion. He and Kai Asakura were neck-and-neck on the feet early, but once Elliott got the fight to the ground in the first, he found his path to victory. In round two, he took the Rizin champ down again and jumped on a mounted guillotine for the submission win.
Just four days after earning his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Baysangur Susurkaev scored his first official win in the Octagon. Eric Nolan was no pushover, even stunning Susurkaev early. But the highly touted newcomer stayed composed, wrecking Nolan’s knee with low kicks. The injury forced Nolan to grapple, which backfired—Susurkaev took his back and secured a rear-naked choke in round two.
The move down to Brazil seems to have paid off for Michał Oleksiejczuk, who pieced up Gerald Meerschaert with crisp boxing. A clean left hook dropped Meerschaert, and follow-up ground and pound sealed the deal.
Lupita Godinez should find herself in the top ten after a unanimous decision win over former champion Jessica Andrade. Though Andrade landed the harder shots, Godinez outworked her with volume and smart wrestling, keeping the Brazilian off-balance all night.
Alexander Hernandez ended his bout with Chase Hooper in sudden, explosive fashion. Hooper tried to smother Hernandez early, but Hernandez maintained distance and picked his shots. With just two seconds left in round one, a straight right hand ended the fight.
Drakkar Klose earned the biggest win of his career, battering veteran Edson Barboza with dirty boxing and relentless pressure. Barboza showed his trademark toughness and survived to the final bell, but it was all Klose from the opening horn.
To the dismay of the crowd, Karine Silva likely retains her spot in the Women’s Flyweight rankings with a narrow decision win over Dione Barbosa. Barbosa started strong with heavy strikes and a near rear-naked choke, but Silva took control in the later rounds, threatening with multiple submissions and landing elbows from off her back.
Finally, Joseph Morales became the TUF Season 33 Flyweight winner in style. The 30-year-old from Sacramento controlled the action early, and when Alibi Idiris found top position in round two, Morales locked up a triangle choke for the submission win.
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