Edmen Shahbazyan hopes quick TKO win at UFC Fight Night 251 is start of middleweight climb
Take a look inside the fight with Shahbazyan, who was a 6-1 favorite and bounced back from a loss to Gerald Meerschaert.
Edmen Shahbazyan def. Dylan Budka
Result: Edmen Shahbazyan def. Dylan Budka via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:35
Updated records: Shahbazyan (14-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC), Budka (7-5 MMA, 0-3 UFC)
Key stats: Shahbazyan got hit with just one punch.
Shahbazyan on the fight's key moment
'I wish it would have went longer, but it was awesome getting the victory, especially stuff we've been practicing all of camp. Whenever you're practicing and then that works in the fight, it's the best feeling. I'm just so thankful.'
Shahbazyan on his potential
'(Being a father is) awesome. It's like I have more purpose in life, more motivation in life. I'm just blessed – so thankful. … I believe in myself. My family believes in me. My coaches, training partners all believe in me. So there's definitely a lot more to grow from and get better. Whatever you saw me in the beginning in the UFC, yeah, it was a great run. But I feel like I'm so much better now. I've gained so much knowledge, so much experience, I'm just going to keep getting better and better.'
Shahbazyan on what he wants next
'Probably June, (I'd like to be back). I want to get three to four fights this year. If it happens, I would love to run my last loss (to Gerald Meerschaert) back. I feel like I rushed in that fight and made a mistake after hurting him. I rushed, but I hope that fight happens – hopefully in June.'
To hear more from Shahbazyan, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.
Gallery UFC Fight Night 251: Best photos from Las Vegas
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USA Today
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15 minutes ago
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Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Du Plessis vs. Chimaev PPV
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brought us UFC 319 TONIGHT (Sat., August 16, 2025), streaming LIVE on ESPN+ PPV from inside United Center in Chicago, IL. The pay-per-view (PPV) main event was Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev for Du Plessis' UFC Middleweight championship title. DDP wanted to go 'full speed and see who quits' in this main event. Chimaev claimed he's up to that task, due to his 'different level' cardio (seen in this gruelling video). UFC 319's co-main event was Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico in the Featherweight division. Pico was debuting in the Octagon after a long career with Bellator. Pico recently talked up how he moved Chimaev around in training. Rounding out UFC 319's PPV card was Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates, Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page and Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura. UFC 319's 'Prelims' were supposed to be headlined by King Green vs. Diego Ferreira. Unfortunately, Green had to pull out due to injury. The new featured 'Prelim' was Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk. Other prime fights on the undercard included Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose. You can checkout everything that happened on UFC 319's 'Prelims' undercard right . UFC 319 START TIME AND DATE will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 319 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+/Disney+ early '' undercard bouts, which air at 6:30 p.m. ET right here, followed by the late '' on Disney+/ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET. UFC 319's PPV main card will start at 10 p.m ET on ESPN+ PPV. Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps and post-fight analysis following 'Du Plessis vs. Chimaev' Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC 319 results. (Note: This will go from the top down; therefore, the newest information will at the top of the stream). UFC 319 QUICK RESULTS 185 lbs.: Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev — Chimaev def. Du Plessis by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44) — 145 lbs.: Aaron Pico vs. Lerone Murphy — — 170 lbs.: Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates — — 185 lbs.: Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page — 125 lbs.: Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura — — 185 lbs.: Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Eric Nolan — — 185 lbs.: Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk — — 125 lbs.: Jessica Andrade vs. Lupita Godinez — 155 lbs.: Alexander Hernandez vs. Chase Hooper — — 155 lbs.: Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose — 125 lbs.: Karine Silva vs. Dione Barbosa —125 lbs.: Alibi Idiris vs. Joseph Morales — UFC 319 PPV MAIN CARD PLAY-BY-PLAY UPDATES Round 1: Chimaev shoots immediately! He gets Du Plessis down and Du Plessis scrambles, trying to vault Chimaev off him. He wraps onto Chimaev's neck and concedes the top position to Chimaev. Chimaev gets side control. He gets the crucifix with four minutes remaining in the round. Chimaev peppers shots on the side of Du Plessis' head. They aren't hard shots, but Du Plessis can't do anything about them. He's pressing his face into Chimaev's chest to prevent Chimaev being able to throw anything harder. Du Plessis tries to buck, but he can't move Chimaev. Chimaev gets a little frustrated with not being able to land hard shots. That gives Du Plessis' a little space to get out of the position. He's still stuck in side control, though. Chimaev tries to get full mount, but Du Plessis is able to block him off. Du Plessis continues to try and lock down Chimaev from the bottom to prevent damage. Du Plessis explodes and Chimaev tries to take his back. He misses and Du Plessis has a window to do something, but Chimaev shoots again and gets another takedown. 10-9 Chimaev after one. Not a 10-8, since, despite the control, Chimaev wasn't close to finishing Du Plessis in that round. Round 2: Chimaev shoots early again. He gets on Du Plessis's back against the fence. Chimaev throws knees to the thigh. Du Plessis stands and Chimaev pulls him down again, away from the fence. Du Plessis crawls to the fence. Chimaev throws more knees to the thigh. Chimaev tries to get a hook in, he can't get it easily, so he goes back to kneeing the thighs. Chimaev jumps on a choke attempt, but Du Plessis reacts quickly and fends it off. Chimaev throws more knees and then tries to climb the back. Du Plessis is keeping himself alive, but nothing more than that. 10-9 again for Chimaev. He's up 20-18. Again, positional dominance from Chimaev, but little to no damage. Round 3: Du Plessis throws a left hand, but is then taken down immediately. Chimaev hangs on his back as he stands. Chimaev then takes him down again and gets side control. Chimaev gets the crucifix again. Du Plessis again presses his face into Chimaev's body to prevent much power coming from Chimaev's ground and pound. Chimaev finds a little separation and lands a nice elbow. He's not able to get enough of these to land to encourage a stoppage, though. Du Plessis gets out the crucifix. Chimaev passes to full mount. Then he takes the back. He looks for a choke with 30 seconds left. Another round for Chimaev. He has a commanding 30-27 lead heading into the championships rounds. Round 4: Du Plessis is breathing hard in his corner now. Chimaev shoots and Du Plessis sprawls. He evades that takedown, but Chimaev hunts him down and gets him to the ground again. The crowd boos. And I get it, this hasn't been that exciting of a fight, but it's hard to blame Chimaev for that. Du Plessis stands, but Chimaev maintains the bodylock. Chimaev muscles Du Plessis down again. Du Plessis tries to roll out of trouble and Chimaev squshes him down and gets him in the crucifix again. Du Plessis gets out and gets to his knee. Chimaev knees Du Plessis and Goddard steps in to stand them up. Du Plessis tries to fire off some strikes, but Chimaev just takes him down again. More knees to the thigh. More booing. Another 10-9 for Chimaev. I'm not giving him 10-8s because he's not doing enough damage from these positions. He's up 40-36, though. Round 5: 'I got this' says Du Plessis in his corner. We'll see. Du Plessis leaps forwards with a combo. Chimaev throws a jab and then immediately ducks down for another takedown. He has side control, again. The crowd boos. Chimaev gets the crucifix again. Chimaev goes for an Americana, but Du Plessis resists. He gets to his knees and Chimaev leans on his back. Du Plessis explodes upwards and Chimaev slips over his back, thanks to all the sweat. He lands on his back and Du Plessis jumps on top of him. Du Plessis goes for the guillotine, but the sweat now allows Chimaev to pop his head out and get top position. Goddard stands them up with a minute 20 seconds left on the clock. Du Plessis is exhausted. He comes forwards and lands a combo, though. Chimaev jabs and then shoots. Du Plessis sprawls, though. Chimaev tries to take Du Plessis down again, but he falls and Du Plessis lands on top of him. Du Plessis takes the back with 20 seconds left. There's not enough time for him to do anything. That's 10-9 and 50-45 Chimaev. Official decision: Khamzat Chimaev def. Dricus du Plessis by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44) Round 1: They trade early. Murphy goes down to a knee, it's unclear if that was off a punch. They clinch and Pico puts Murphy on the fence. Murphy escapes out to the side. Pico nails Murphy with a body shot. He's hurt! Pico tries to follow up, Murphy lands an elbow and then slaps on a d'arce. It's really tight, but Pico gets out. As a result, Pico is now on top of Murphy. Murphy manages to stand and separate, though. Pico shoots and gets the takedown. Murphy works to the fence and gets to his feet again, though. Muprhy lands a nice knee as Pico comes in. Pico brushes it off and pushes Murphy into the fence. Murphy manages to get free, though. Pico boxes his way back into the clinch, he lands a body shot and breaks. Murphy throws a front kick, Pico comes forwards and walks right into a spinning back elbow! Pico is out! Two spinning elbows in a row! Official decision: Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico by KO (spinning back elbow), round 1 (3:21) Round 1: Neal throws a leg kick and then a high kick. He doesn't land them, though. Prates is being very springy. Neal throws a clubbing left, but Prates covers up. Prates lands a hard leg kick. Prates continues to fire in leg kicks. Neal leans in looking for his jab, but Prates is backing up and circling away to avoid them. He continues with the leg kicks, they may really pay off for him if this fight goes long. Neal lands a left. Prates responds with a one-two. Then Neal comes back with his left again. Prates lands a good body shot and then a knee to the body. Neal's left eye is starting to swell. Prates targets the eye with a spinning kick. Prates lands some hard shots in the last minute, switching between punches and knees. Neal wraps him up. Prates makes fun of him and Neal disengages. Prates then nails him with another punch. Prates spins and cracks Neal with an elbow on the buzzer! Neal goes down just before the bell. What a knockout from Prates. He was cruising in this fight, hitting Neal with all kinds of offense. Official decision: Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal by KO (spinning back elbow), round 1 (4:59) Round 1: Page takes the center and starts his usual routine of springing up and down with his hands by his side. He does a little wave and wiggle with his right, trying to distract Cannonier. Cannonier stays focused, he steps forwards and looks to land his jab. Page hops himself back to the fence, but Cannonier doesn't rush him there. He lets Page get off this time. The next time he closes distance and goes for a takedown. He pushes Page into the mesh. Page defends with double underhooks. They trade a few knees. Page then slings Cannonier off of him. Cannonier comes forwards with a combo, but hits nothing but air. Page steps in and land a right hand that drops Cannonier! Cannonier gets up and Page tells him 'calm down'. Page continues to taunt Cannonier. He pops him with another jab. Cannonier changes levels and goes for a takedown. Page stops him. Cannonier has him on the fence, but can't land any offense, save a few knees. They separate with ten seconds left and Cannonier whiffs on some punches. Page, thanks to the knockdown, takes the round 10-9. Round 2: Page tags Cannonier with a right hand immediately in the second round. And now he's back to talking to him. He steps in with another right hand. Page lands a two punch combo and then pushes Cannonier off and to the ground. Page stands and waits for Cannonier to get up and come back to him. Page is having all kinds of fun in there. Page leans in, trying to bait Cannonier. Cannonier clinches and pushes him to the fence. Cannonier lands an inside trip to get Page down. Page stands right up, though. That has to be demoralizing for Cannonier. Cannonier clinches again and holds Page in place, but he's not able to get off any punches or elbows in close. Instead they trade a few knees. Page takes that round 10-9 and is leading 20-18. Round 3: Page scores with a few darting attacks and a nice inside leg kick. Page hops in for another combo, but his misses, slips and ends up on the ground with Cannonier on top of him. Cannonier passes into full mount. Cannonier lands two punches and Page scrambles back to half guard. Cannonier lands a big elbow. Cannonier isolates an arm and goes for a kimura. He can't finish that, but he does get mount again. This time Cannonier goes for the arm triangle, but Page defends it. Page looks like he's accepted being on his back for the rest of the fight and is just trying to not get stopped. It's working so far. Cannonier lands another big elbow, but he's not able to string enough of these together to make a difference. Cannonier gets the last round. But MVP wins the fight 29-28 on my scorecard. Official decision: Michael Page def. Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Round 1: Kai Asakura lands a decent amount of punches, some of which rocked Elliott. Elliott scored a takedown of a half landed high kick and spent some decent time on top. Asakura takes the round 10-9. Round 2: Elliott lands a good left hand over the top. Asakura tries to fire back a combo but comes up short. Elliott is doing a good job of being elusive and preventing Asakura from teeing off. Elliott comes in hard, but eats a counter. Elliott is swaying all over the place trying to keep himself off the center line. He dives in for a takedown, this is almost drunken master style. Asakura is able to stay up this time. Elliott ducks down and gets a big double leg takedown. Elliott is in Asakura's full guard. He postures for a punch and then locks up a mounted guillotine. It's very tight. Elliott cranks it harder. Asakura taps! Official decision: Tim Elliott def. Kai Asakura by submission (mounted guillotine), round 2 (4:39) LIVE! Watch UFC 319 PPV On ESPN+ Here! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its 2025 pay-per-view (PPV) schedule on Sat., Aug. 16, 2025, with a blockbuster title fight set to headline UFC 319 from inside United Center in Chicago, Illinois. In UFC 319's PPV main event, Middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, defends his title against undefeated No. 3-ranked contender, Khamzat Chimaev, in a high-stakes, five-round battle of unbeaten UFC records. UFC 319's PPV co-main event features a Featherweight showdown between Lerone Murphy and promotional newcomer, Aaron Pico, a high-profile free-agent signing stepping in on short notice. UFC 319 will also showcase a Welterweight clash between Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates, a Middleweight bout pitting Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page, a Flyweight matchup featuring Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura, and much more! UFC 319's start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET ('Early Prelims'), 8 p.m. ET ('Prelims' undercard), and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card)Don't miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action! Where to Buy: Check price at STREAM UFC 319 To check out the latest and greatest UFC 319: 'Du Plessis vs. Chimaev' news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 319 fight card and PPV lineup click .
