UFC 319 — Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev: Fight card, date, odds, start time, news, complete guide

UFC is back in the Windy City on Saturday night with its latest PPV offering. The main event is one of the best matchups possible on paper as middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis looks to defend his title against arguably the biggest star in the sport to never wear gold Khamzat Chimaev. It all goes down from the United Center in Chicago this weekend.

Du Plessis and Chimaev are undefeated in 17 combined UFC appearances. Their trajectories are the inverse of one another. Du Plessis is the defending champion, exceeding expectations at every turn. Chimaev is the challenger, despite being identified early as a future UFC champion. Health complications and tough welterweight cuts delayed Chimaev’s rise. During that time, Du Plessis cashed as an underdog against former champions Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya.

The undercard features some interesting matchups on Saturday. Most notably, Aaron Pico is set to make his promotional debut when he takes on top prospect Lerone Murphy in the co-main event. Pico has been tabbed for greatness since before he even stepped foot inside a cage of any kind. The former Bellator MMA fighter struggled early in his career as he was put in against top fighters early. But he slowly found his footing and was closing in on title contention before Bellator was bought by PFL and his career stalled. Now, he gets a chance to make a splash in a prime slot.

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Plus, another rising contender gets his chance at a showcase when Carlos Prates takes on veteran Geoff Neal at welterweight. Prates, one of the star players coming out of the Fighting Nerds camp, ran through the first four opponents he faced in the Octagon by knockout. He ran into his toughest test to date in April when he could not figure out the puzzle of Ian Machado Garry. Now, Prates looks to get back to his winning ways and impress brass enough to consider him for a future title shot. Neal, meanwhile, has had an up-and-down run in recent years. He lost back-to-back fights against Shavkat Rakhmonov and Garry in tough fashion before winning against Rafael dos Anjos due to an injury early in the fight.

The card also marks the return of Michael “Venom” Page as the former Bellator MMA star looks to keep rolling against veteran Jared Cannonier. “MVP” has stifled every opponent he’s faced in his brief run with UFC, lulling them into a patient striking battle with his unique style and awkward stance. He has picked up wins over Kevin Holland and Sharaputdin “Shara Bullet” Magomedov with his lone defeat coming against Garry. Cannonier, meanwhile, is coming off a solid TKO win over Gregory Rodrigues in February that ended a brief two-fight losing skid.

Below is the complete fight card for UFC 319, along with the latest odds. Check back all week long for the latest news, features and other content around this massive event.

UFC 319 fight card, odds

• Khamzat Chimaev -220 vs. Dricus du Plessis (c) +180, middleweight title
• Aaron Pico -195 vs. Lerone Murphy +165 featherweights
• Carlos Prates -260 vs. Geoff Neal +210, welterweights
• Michael Page -180 vs. Jared Cannonier +150, middleweights
• Kai Asakura -300 vs. Tim Elliot +240, flyweights
• Baisangur Susurkaev -950 vs. Eric Nolan +625, middleweights
• Michal Oleksiejczuk -220 vs. Gerald Meerschaert +180, middleweights
• Loopy Godinez -150 vs. Jessica Andrade +125, women’s strawweights
• Chase Hooper -330 vs. Alexander Hernandez +260, lightweights
• Edson Barboza -160 vs Drakkar Klose +135, lightweights
• Karine Silva -230 vs. Dione Barbosa +190, women’s flyweights
• Alibi Idiris -455 vs. Joseph Morales +350, flyweights

UFC 319 info

• Date: Aug. 16
• Location: United Center — Chicago
• Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card) 
• How to watch: ESPN+ PPV

UFC 319 countdown

• Staff predictions and expert picks
• Brookhouse: Best bets to consider on the main card
• Mahjouri: Top undercard fights worth your time this weekend
• Du Plessis agrees with sentiment that he’s everything Chimaev was meant to be
• Campbell: Five biggest storylines to follow in Chicago

Who wins UFC 319: Du Plessis vs. Chimaev, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and find out.