Israel Adesanya's Message About Khamzat Chimaev’s Dominant UFC 319 Win Was Powerful

Diving deeper into how the fight panned out, Adesanya admitted that Chimaev’s performance caught him off guard. He noted that the new champion had clearly addressed the cardio concerns that once followed him, proving he could keep up a relentless pace for five rounds. According to Adesanya, many expected Du Plessis to capitalize in the later rounds, but instead of tiring, it was Chimaev who stayed sharp and turned the tables by wearing down the former champion. And therefore deservedly winning the 185-pound belt.

Khamzat Chimaev’s Dominance by Numbers

Khamzat Chimaev walked out of UFC 319 as the new middleweight champ, but calling it just a unanimous decision doesn’t really do justice to what happened. The scorecards read 50-44 across the board, yet even that doesn’t quite capture the sheer dominance on display.

The stats tell the real story. In round one alone, Chimaev outlanded Du Plessis 131-3, connecting on a ridiculous 95% of his strikes while DDP barely threw anything back. Most of it was Chimaev smothering him in the crucifix and chipping away with short shots. Over the full 25 minutes, Chimaev racked up more than 21 minutes of control time, hit 12 takedowns, and threw a staggering 567 strikes  though only a small percentage were considered “significant.”

Du Plessis, meanwhile, looked completely shut down. He didn’t even attempt a leg kick until the final round, finishing with just one a far cry from his usual weapon. By the end, the numbers painted it clear: this was less a fight and more a wrestling clinic, with Chimaev firmly in control from start to finish.