UFC 319 at Chicago’s United Center lived up to the hype. From the opening TUF 33 finale between Joseph Morales and Alibi Idris, the adrenaline-charged event kept fans on edge. And it all culminated in the main event: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Dricus Du Plessis, the proverbial icing on the cake. Given the Chechen’s fearsome reputation, many wondered if the underdog Du Plessis could flip the script on the division’s ‘boogeyman’ and end his winning streak.

Instead, the finale played out just as many had predicted, a victory for Khamzat Chimaev. But he did more than win: he shattered myths and broke records. With 529 strikes, Chimaev eclipsed Max Holloway’s long-standing mark of 447, set in 2021 against Calvin Kattar. As speculation grows over who will challenge Chimaev next, many believe that with him holding the belt, the UFC middleweight division could be in for a long reign. Watching the middleweight title fight alongside a few associates, former champion Israel Adesanya summed up UFC 319, and Chimaev’s triumph, in the most telling way.

Khamzat Chimaev: From a solid opening to a decisive conclusion

It was midway through the latest episode of ‘FreeStylebender,’ which has already surpassed half a million views, when Israel Adesanya turned his attention to the Khamzat Chimaev-Dricus Du Plessis showdown. And in the end, when he wrapped up his main event review, the former two-time middleweight champion framed it most eloquently: “(The) division’s in good hands.”

His conclusion came from a few key observations. First, Adesanya emphasized that surviving Chimaev’s relentless attack requires elite grappling skills. Something along the lines of what Gilbert Burns brings to the table. “If you have good enough grappling, you can survive,” he stressed. Secondly, many expected Chimaev to fade in the later rounds. However, the Russian’s stamina stood out. “I think he’s improved. He’s improved his gas tank,” he noted, adding that this upgrade came without overtraining.

“But now five rounds doing this, and apparently now he’s not overtraining. Like now he’s—he’s actually just, they have someone to monitor the way he trains,” Adesanya explained. While analyzing Chimaev’s performance, he couldn’t help but cheer on Dricus Du Plessis from the sidelines: “Go full Dricus, bro. Just go full Dric…. Go full Dricus, bro. Let’s go. Full Dricus. Go. Full Dricus. Full Dricus. Let’s go. Full Dricus.”

Nevertheless, in the end, Khamzat Chimaev’s preparations paid off.

Fighting past all forecasts

Although he personally scored the fight 50-44, Israel Adesanya admitted the outcome wasn’t what he expected. Given Dricus Du Plessis’ resilience and ability to rebound from early setbacks, many believed the South African would wear Chimaev down and retain his belt.

But in the end, the UAE-based Russian proved them wrong. “Khamzat fixed his cardio or improved his cardio to the point where he can go five rounds and just rag doll people,” Adesanya observed. “That’s a mess. That’s a mess to deal with because I thought DDP, okay, maybe in round four he’d be able to stuff the takedowns because Khamzat would get tired. But he didn’t even slow down. He slowed down DDP.”

From the commentary desk, Daniel Cormier highlighted Du Plessis’ struggles as the fight wore on. “He’s being completely dominated, and he’s exhausted,” he said during the third round. And afterward, MMA legend Henry Cejudo echoed the sentiment many anticipated: “Khamzat Chimaev is on another level right now. He may very well be champion for years to come.”

Who, in your view, could get the better of Khamzat Chimaev currently?