CHICAGO — UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis will battle his opponent as well as what figures to be a hostile crowd when he defends his title against Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319 on Saturday.

At the pre-match promotion on Thursday, du Plessis was faced with a gathering of mostly Chimaev supporters. The 31-year-old South African champion will be fighting on U.S. soil for the first time since 2023, a year after his 31-year-old Russian challenger last competed in the United States.

du Plessis (23-2 MMA), the betting underdog against the undefeated Chimaev (14-0 MMA), kept a rather calm demeanor on Thursday and did his best to drown out the boos, even though it wasn’t an easy task.

UFC is returning to Chicago for the first time since June 2019 and this will be the third middleweight title fight hosted in Illinois since 2008.

du Plessis is making his third title defense since becoming the champ by defeating Sean Strickland on a split decision in January 2024. He subsequently won by submission over Israel Adesanya in UFC 3015 last August, then beat Strickland again by decision in February at UFC 312.

“I think it’s the fact that I want to go out there and fight the best,” du Plessis said. “Remember when you’re cheering Saturday night.”

Although Chimaev kept his composure while letting the crowd express itself on its behalf, he did offer one bold prediction for fight night.

“Africa never gonna see the belt again. Sorry guys,” Chimaev said.

The middleweight bout headlines a 13-fight card, with the ESPN+ pay-per-view portion beginning at 10 p.m. ET.

UFC 319 main card bout order, subject to change:
Dricus du Plessis (c) vs. Khamzat Chimaev, for du Plessis’ UFC middleweight title
Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico, featherweight
Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates, welterweight
Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page, middleweight
Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura, flyweight

–Zain Bando, Field Level Media