For years considered a future title hopeful in the UFC, Khamzat Chimaev gets his shot at gold at UFC 319 this Saturday, where he takes on middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis.
Chimaev’s rise to the top was slowed by illness, injury and inactivity, allowing South Africa’s “Stillknocks,” who joined the promotion months after him, to claim gold back in January of 2024 in Toronto. He’s since defended the belt twice, against Israel Adesanya and the man he originally won it from, Sean Strickland.
Khamzat, however, is the man many see as the toughest test for the reigning champ. The division is wide open, with plenty of title contenders including Anthony Hernandez, Reinier de Ridder, and the winner of the upcoming Caio Borralho vs. Nassourdine Imavov. Yet the fast rise of Chimaev, and his dominant victories especially early in his UFC run, have him favored over champ Du Plessis.
Aaron Pico, meanwhile, finally makes his UFC debut in Saturday’s co-main event. Originally booked against Movsar Evloev, the former Bellator star now faces unbeaten featherweight standout Lerone Murphy.
Our picks are in for UFC 319 in Chicago – here’s how we see the PPV card playing out!
| Writer / Fight | Elliott vs. Asakura | Cannonier vs. Page | Neal vs. Prates | Murphy vs. Pico | Du Plessis vs. Chimaev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Behunin (88-50) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Eddie Law (89-54) | | | | | |
| Mathis Desjardins (84-53) | | | | |  |
| Chris Prawdzik (67-46) | | | |  | |
| Brett Cagle (81-56) | | | | | |
| Jay Anderson (83-60) | | |  | | |
| Patrick Danna (20-13) | | | | | |
Our team is very much aligned on the first two fights of the UFC 319 main card, as Kai Asakura and Michael “Venom” Page are unanimous picks in their fights against Tim Elliott and Jared Cannonier. Carlos Prates is a very heavy favorite with our crew as well, as all but one writer responding sees him getting the better of Geoff Neal.
Things are a bit closer in the co-main and main events, but not by much. Aaron Pico is favored to win his debut against Lerone Murphy, with a 5-2 edge, while Dricus Du Plessis sees the same margin in his fight with Khamzat Chimaev.
