Reinier de Ridder isn’t certain what comes next for him following a win over former champion Robert Whittaker, but he believes a title shot should be awaiting him. Now 4-0 in the UFC, including three finishes along the way,

Chimaev and Du Plessis’s title fight comes at an active time in the UFC middleweight division. Reinier de Ridder defeated Whittaker about a week ago to continue his climb, and UFC Vegas 109 is headlined by Anthony Hernandez and Roman Dolidze.

The UFC middleweight championship wasn't built for Dricus du Plessis, he took it by force. That honor seemed reserved for Khamzat Chimaev, whom many deemed a future champion early on. Maybe that's why Du Plessis is a betting underdog at UFC 319 in Chicago.

Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev look ready to tear each other apart just days away from their middleweight title fight in the UFC 319 main event. On Thursday, champion and challenger came face-to-face with UFC CEO Dana White doing his best to ensure the main event didn’t start two days early.

The Middleweight title is on the line at UFC 319 from Chicago. Check the UFC odds for our Du Plessis-Chimaev prediction and pick.

Dricus Du Plessis, the UFC middleweight champion, is set to defend his title against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on August 16, 2025, at the United Center in Chicago. At the media day on August 13, 2025,

The main card will be on ESPN+ pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN, ESPN+ and Disney+ at 8 p.m. ET.

Let Khamzat Chimaev get past Dricus Du Plessis first. Then he'll think about what's next. He'll figure out Saturday ... on Saturday.

UFC 319 is just days away, as the main event features a possible 'Fight of the Year' candidate between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.