Gold is on the line this weekend at UFC 319 with an anticipated middleweight title fight between champion Dricus Du Plessis and unbeaten challenger Khamzat Chimaev headlining the action.
The main event was made official Friday morning as both fighters made weight on their first attempt.
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Watch UFC 319 on Sportsnet+
Dricus Du Plessis will look to defend the middleweight title against undefeated challenger Khamzat Chimaev. Watch UFC 319 on Saturday, Aug. 16 with prelim coverage beginning 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and pay-per-view main card starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
Du Plessis and Chimaev needed to weigh no more than 185 pounds for their middleweight championship bout. Other middleweights on the card could step on the scale as heavy as 186 pounds since fighters competing in non-title bouts are granted a one-pound allowance.
Chimaev (14-0 in MMA, 8-0 in the UFC) was two pounds under the limit, coming in at 183 pounds. The undefeated fighter began his UFC career competing in the 170-pound division, but is also considered one of the strongest fighters in the middleweight division with a dominant wrestling game.
Du Plessis (23-2 in MMA, 9-0 in the UFC) weighed an even 185 pounds as he prepares to defend the title for a third consecutive time.
No. 6-ranked middleweight contender Caio Borralho does not have an opponent Saturday but is in Chicago serving as the official backup fighter for the main event. Borralho weighed in at 184 pounds and will be available to step in on short notice if either Du Plessis or Chimaev are unable to compete for any reason. Borralho is scheduled to face Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of a Fight Night card in Paris, France, on Sept. 6, with the winner of that matchup potentially set up to face the winner of Du Plessis vs. Chimaev.
A possible featherweight title shot is on the line in the co-main event when undefeated Lerone Murphy welcomes former Bellator MMA star Aaron Pico to the UFC. Murphy took advantage of the extra pound he was afforded, while Pico was an even 145 pounds.
It was not smooth sailing for all fighters, though, with Bryan Battle missing weight by four pounds ahead of a scheduled middleweight contest with Nursulton Ruziboev, which will no longer take place. Battle weighed 190 pounds and has now missed weight in two consecutive bouts and three times overall in his UFC career.
Battle’s two previous misses were ahead of welterweight matchups — he weighed 173 before his fight with Gabriel Green in 2023 and weighed 175 against Randy Brown this past December. Both of those misses resulted in catchweight bouts that Battle won.
It was initially believed Battle would be fined 30 per cent of his purse for the four-pound miss and his bout with Ruziboev will proceed at a catchweight, however the organization later announced the fight was being cancelled altogether.
Below are the official UFC 319 weigh-in results:
MAIN CARD
— Dricus Du Plessis (185) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (183)
— Lerone Murphy (146) vs. Aaron Pico (145)
— Geoff Neal (171) vs. Carlos Prates (170)
— Jared Cannonier (186) vs. Michael Page (186)
— Tim Elliott (126) vs. Kai Asakura (126)
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Baysangur Susurkaev (186) vs. Eric Nolan (183)
— Gerald Meerschaert (185) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (186)
— Jessica Andrade (116) vs. Loopy Godinez (115)
— Alexander Hernandez (156) vs. Chase Hooper (155)
— Edson Barboza (155.5) vs. Drakkar Klose (156)
— Bryan Battle (190)* vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (186)
— Karine Silva (125) vs. Dione Barbosa (125.5)
— Alibi Idiris (126) vs. Joseph Morales (126)
— Caio Borralho (184)**
*fighter missed weight, bout called off
**main event backup fighter
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