If not for MVP being controlled on the ground in the final round of his bout with Jared Cannonier; a flashy KO seemed near after knocking him down in the first two; every UFC 319 win would be a noteworthy one. Tim Elliott gets a surprise victory over Kai Asakura. Carlos Prates and Lerone Murphy deliver stunning back-to-back first-round spinning-back-elbow knockouts. Khamzat Chimaev dominates Dricus Du Plessis.

That last bit is somewhat of a head-scratcher; not because Chimaev starts the fight with his relentless wrestling as expected but that Dricus Du Plessis has no answer for it over the course of five rounds. I thought he’d find a way to win; he said he would and there is indeed a brief Silva/Sonnen-like moment near the end; but it’s as if, as Daniel Cormier suggests, his gameplan was to exhaust Chimaev, which never happens.

my rating : 4 of 5

2025