For the first time since 2019, the UFC makes its way to Chicago for UFC 319, one of the most highly-anticipated pay-per-view cards of the year. In the headlining bout, reigning middleweight king Dricus du Plessis puts his strap on the line against the surging European contender Khamzat Chimaev. In the co-main event, the undefeated Lerone Murphy welcomes promotional newcomer and former Bellator star Aaron Pico.
UFC 319 Main Event
Having not tasted defeat since 2018, du Plessis has soared to not just the top of the 185-lb division, but also the entire sport. Making his company debut back in 2020, “Stillknocks” went on to capture UFC gold over nemesis Sean Strickland, defending it twice over Israel Adesanya and Strickland for a second time in UFC 319.
Unblemished in his professional career, Chimaev has taken the sport of mixed martial arts by storm as both a popular fan-favorite fighter, but also a legitimate title threat. Arriving in the promotion five years ago, “Borz” has trampled elite competition like Gilbert Burns, Kevin Holland, Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker en route to challenging for his first UFC belt.
UFC 319 Co-Main Event
Riding a 17-bout unbeaten streak, Murphy stands as a top name in the stacked featherweight class. Recently coming into his own as a member of the category’s upper echelon, “The Miracle” has recorded stellar wins over veterans in Edson Barboza, Dan Ige and Josh Emmett.
In the midst of a three-fight winning streak, Pico walks into the Octagon for the first time as a top prospect in all of mixed martial arts. Coming over from the now-defunct Bellator, the Californian makes his company debut in UFC 319 to much fanfare as to wonder how far the 28-year old can reach against the toughest competition on the planet.
Here’s how to watch UFC 319
Online Streaming: You can catch the entire card on ESPN+, but you will need to subscribe in order to do so. Right now, the company is offering a monthly or yearly subscription of $11.99 and $119.99 respectively. For those who want to get more bang out of their buck, there is also the monthly Disney Bundle Deal, which offers ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+ for $16.99 with included commercials, or $26.99 for no commercials at all.
Start Time and Date: The Early Preliminaries will begin at 6pm ET, followed by the Preliminaries at 8pm , then finally the Main Card at 10pm ET on August 16th.
Bout Order For UFC 319
Main Card:
Dricus du Plessis (c) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (Middleweight Championship Main Event)
Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico (Featherweight Co-Main Event)
Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates (Welterweight)
Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page (Middleweight)
Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura (Flyweight)
Preliminaries:
Baysangur Susurkaev vs. Eric Nolan (Middleweight Featured Bout)
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk (Middleweight)
Jéssica Andrade vs. Loopy Godinez (Women’s Strawweight)
Chase Hooper vs. Alexander Hernandez (Lightweight)
Early Preliminaries:
Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose (Lightweight Featured Bout)
Bryan Battle vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (Middleweight)
Karine Silva vs. Dione Barbosa (Women’s Flyweight)
Alibi Idiris vs. Joseph Morales (Flyweight)
