Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico at UFC 319
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You only get one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut! Three athletes debuted in “Chi Town” last night (Sat., Aug. 16, 2025) at UFC 319 inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Two of them lost,
The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday's card in the “Windy City,” and all four went to fighters on the main card. After UFC 319, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances at United Center in Chicago. Check out the winners below.
The UFC 319 main event was one-way traffic from Khamzat Chimaev, resulting in the crowning of a new middleweight champion.
Pico (13-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) took the fight against featherweight replacement opponent Lerone Murphy (17-0-1 MMA, 9-0-1 UFC), who stepped in for Movsar Evloev on just about three weeks' notice. He had won nine of his past 10 Bellator fights before that promotion was shuttered by the PFL, and the one loss was from an injury.
Khamzat Chimaev put himself in the record books in multiple ways at UFC 319, which was the first event with two spinning elbow KOs.
Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) was handily beaten by Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in the form of a unanimous decision at United Center in Chicago, ending his reign as middleweight titleholder with two defenses under his belt.
Khamzat Chimaev may not have made many new fans with his dominant win over Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319 on Saturday, but the top title challenger is taking home the UFC middleweight championship after winning a lopsided decision with a smothering grappling performance.
Dricus Du Plessis says he has used a mental coach for the past eight years and that it’ll pay off when he fights Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. Chimaev is expected to take Du Plessis down early, and the reigning middleweight champion shrugged it off.
CHICAGO – Khamzat Chimaev beat Dricus Du Plessis soundly at UFC 319 on Saturday, and he wasn't afraid to let him know as he was doing it. Following his title-clinching victory at United Center, Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) what it was exactly that he told Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) as he cruised to a unanimous decision victory.
Khamzat Chimaev finally has UFC gold strapped around his waist, and let’s be honest—it was only a matter of time. Everyone knew he had the talent to get there, but the way he tore through Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 left fans and analysts stunned.
Baisangur Susurkaev probably wants more than four days off next time – but he's got a timeline for getting to the top.