UFC 319 'Embedded,' No. 4: Lerone Murphy tosses first pitch, DWCS winner arrives
UFC 319 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at United Center in Chicago.
In the headliner, middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) puts his title on the line for the third time when he meets unbeaten – and favored – challenger Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC).
In addition, wrestling standout Aaron Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his highly anticipated UFC debut after years in Bellator when he takes on unbeaten featherweight Lerone Murphy (16-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) in the co-main event. Plus, the popular Michael Page (23-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) meets former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) and more in the home of the Bulls and Blackhawks.
The fourth episode of "Embedded" follows the headliners and featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC's description of the episode from YouTube:
Champ Dricus Du Plessis has a light training session; Lerone Murphy arrives in Chicago for check ins and to throw the first pitch at the White Sox game; Aaron Pico goes through his first fight week duties and begins his weight cut; Khamzat Chimaev is excited for Dana White's Contender Series; Geoff Neal has a striking session; Baysangur Susurkaev arrives in Chicago for fight week after earning a UFC contract less than 24 hours earlier on Dana White's Contender Series.
Previous UFC 319 'Embedded' episodes
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Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UFC 319 results: Khamzat Chimaev obliterates Dricus du Plessis for middleweight title
Dricus du Plessis wanted Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago. He got him. He suffered for it. Historically. In a display of dominance that outdid even his path to the title, Chimaev spent five rounds smothering the life out of what was once an impressive champion, winning by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44) to take the UFC middleweight belt. Yes, 50-44, times three. It could have been even worse, but the judges didn't give Chimaev more than one 10-8 round, likely due to a lack of meaningful damage. It took seven seconds for Chimaev to get du Plessis on the ground. He landed 12-of-17 takedown attempts and had 21:40 of ground control time in a 25-minute fight. Du Plessis had previously spent 4:56 of time in bottom position in his five-year UFC career, then spent 4:46 there in the first round. By total strikes, Chimaev outlanded du Plessis 529-45. Most of those strikes weren't damaging, but the sheer volume shows how one-sided this thing was. The best that can be said for du Plessis is he found his legs in the fifth round and made interesting in the final two minutes. The rest of the fight was a demoralizing, overwhelming show of force from a man who now appears poised to toy with the middleweight division for years to come. How du Plessis described the experience: "He was just like a blanket. It wasn't a matter of strength, it wasn't that physical, it was just as if he knew what your next move was going to be. He got it without using too much power and I had to decide if I'm going to be on my back or have him on my back. "At the end, I went for it, had the back, I could almost taste that victory, but — you know, big ups to Khamzat. He deserves this one 100%." The United Center crowd didn't love the one-sided, wrestling-heavy show, loudly booing Chimaev in his victory interview. It didn't seem to bother him much. The main event could have not had a better lead-in. The third fight of the main card ended in epic fashion when Carlos Prates landed a spinning back elbow to the dome of Geoff Neal for a knockout in the final second of the first round, the ninth spinning back elbow KO in UFC history. That would have been a special moment, and then Lerone Murphy did the exact same thing. He welcomed UFC newcomer Aaron Pico with a first-round spinning back elbow KO. Both fighters immediately received a $50,000 bonus and the opportunity to call their shot for their next fight. It looks like Prates will get a spot on the upcoming Rio de Janeiro card in October — he called out Leon Edwards as an opponent — while UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski accepted a challenge from Murphy via social media. Check out full UFC 319 results and highlights below. Main Card results Middleweight championship: Khamzat Chimaev def. Dricus du Plessis by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44)Featherweight: Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico by KO (spinning back elbow) at 3:21 of Round 1Welterweight: Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal by KO (spinning back elbow) at 4:59 of Round 1Middleweight: Michael Page def. Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Flyweight: Tim Elliott def. Kai Asakura by submission (guillotine) at 4:39 of Round 2 Prelims results Middleweight: Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric Nolan by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:01 of Round 2Middleweight: Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Gerald Meerschaert by TKO (punches) at 3:03 of Round 1Women's strawweight: Loopy Godinez def. Jessica Andrade by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Lightweight: Alex Hernandez def. Chase Hooper by TKO (punches) at 4:58 of Round 1 Early prelims results Lightweight: Drakkar Klose def. Edson Barboza by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Women's flyweight: Karine Silva def. Dione Barbosa by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Flyweight: Joseph Morales def. Alibi Idiris by submission (triangle choke) at 3:04 of Round 2
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chimaev wins UFC middleweight belt by unanimous decision
CHICAGO (AP) — Khamzat Chimaev continued his dominance in the UFC, capturing the middleweight belt on Saturday night by defeating Dricus Du Plessis by unanimous decision at UFC 319. With a smile on his face, Chimaev (15-0) shot out of his corner in the first round with a takedown of Du Plessis (23-3) in the opening seconds and had Du Plessis on his back for almost the entire first round. Despite the ground control by Chimaev, Du Plessis was able to avoid significant damage in the first round. Chimaev continued with takedowns in the second and third rounds, and Chimaev's grappling skills took their toll on Du Plessis in the third round, where Chimaev was able to land a series of blows while Du Plessis was on his back. Chimaev continued the ground game on Du Plessis in the fourth round. Du Plessis showed life late in the fifth round with a takedown and attempted a guillotine, but it was too little too late. All three judges scored the fight 50-44. The UFC returned to Chicago for the first time in six years, making it the highest-grossing event at the United Center. The main card featured two spinning elbow first-round finishes by Carlos Prates and Lerone Murphy. ___ AP sports:
USA Today
6 minutes ago
- USA Today
'Five 10-8s': Fighters react to Khamzat Chimaev dominating Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319
Khamzat Chimaev finally achieved what many viewed as destiny on Saturday when he captured the middleweight title from Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 by unanimous decision. Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) joined an exclusive group of names to win undisputed gold with an undefeated record when he earned a METHOD victory over Du Plessis in the headliner at UFC Apex in Chicago. As a result, "The Wolf" starts a new era where, if he can keep healthy and compete regularly, has much potential for excitement. Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Chimaev's title win over Du Plessis at UFC 319. The MMA community went wild over Dricus Du Plessis' upset title defense over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319.
