Outside Source
Khamzat Chimaev put together a near-perfect performance when the Ultimate Fighting Championship spotlight burned brightest.
The Chechen wrecking ball executed takedowns whenever he pleased and paired them with suffocating top control and sustained ground-and-pound, as he captured the undisputed middleweight crown with a lopsided five-round unanimous decision over Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 319 headliner on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. All three judges turned in 50-44 scorecards for Chimaev (15-0, 9-0 UFC).
Du Plessis (23-3, 9-1 UFC) had no answers for the challenger’s relentlessness and utter disregard for his skills. Chimaev struck for takedowns in all five rounds, moved to the mounted crucifix on multiple occasions and racked up points with punches and elbows. Damage was minimal, but the message was sent nonetheless. Du Plessis had a few glimmers of hope late in the fifth round. There, he countered a takedown attempt into top position in the waning moments and made a brief pass at a rear-naked choke. Chimaev freed himself with ease, dodged the potential bullet and cruised to the checkered flag.
Meanwhile, Manchester Top Team’s Lerone Murphy remained undefeated and did so in spectacular fashion, as he cut down Bellator MMA refugee Aaron Pico with a spinning back elbow in the first round of their featherweight co-main event. Murphy (17-0-1, 9-0-1 UFC) brought it to a dramatic close 3:21 into Round 1.
Pico (13-5, 0-1 UFC) wasted little time getting acquainted with the Octagon. The Jackson-Wink MMA rep walked down Murphy and uncorked heavy power punches to the head and body, all while mixing in a takedown to keep his counterpart off-balance. None of it mattered. Murphy drew in the Californian, then let fly with the exquisitely timed elbow to the temple. Pico froze where he stood and collapsed downward, his head bouncing violently off the canvas.
Murphy, 34, will ride a nine-fight winning streak into his next outing.
Further down the main card, Fighting Nerds standout Carlos Prates wiped out Geoff Neal with a sensational spinning back elbow in the first round of their welterweight showcase. Knocked out for the first time in more than eight years, Neal (16-7, 8-5 UFC) met his end 4:59 into Round 1.
The 31-year-old Prates (22-7, 5-1 UFC) brought all his weapons to bear. He battered Neal’s lead leg with kicks, connected with one-twos, incorporated knees to the body on occasion and even mixed in a spinning back kick to the body. With time running out in the first round, Prates sent a spinning back elbow crashing into the side of the Fortis MMA product’s head. The impact opened a long horizontal gash above Neal’s ear and sent him to the canvas in a semi-conscious state. No follow-up shots were required.
Prates has rattled off 12 wins across his past 13 assignments.
Elsewhere, London Shootfighters star Michael Page outstruck Jared Cannonier to a unanimous decision in their three-round middleweight attraction. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it the same: 29-28 for Page (24-3, 3-1 UFC), who has posted back-to-back victories since his June 2024 defeat to Ian Garry.
Cannonier (18-9, 11-9 UFC) was out of his depth on the feet. Page dropped the MMA Lab mainstay with an overhand right in the first round and floored him again with a three-punch volley in the second. Still, he left the door open for Cannonier. Page slipped while throwing a Superman punch early in Round 3, allowing the John Crouch protégé to climb into top position. Cannonier moved to mount on multiple occasions, flirted briefly with an arm-triangle and mixed in some mild ground-and-pound, but he failed to string together enough offense to make a genuine pass at a finish.
The 41-year-old Cannonier has lost three of his past four bouts.
Finally, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 winner Tim Elliott stepped into the cage for the first time in more than 600 days and dismissed former Rizin Fighting Federation champion Kai Asakura with a guillotine choke in the second round of their flyweight appetizer. Elliott (21-13-1, 10-11 UFC) slammed the door 4:39 into Round 2.
Asakura (21-6, 0-2 UFC) unleashed his quick, powerful hands in their initial exchanges but conceded a takedown late in the first round that seemed to shift momentum. He emerged for the middle stanza with a far more tentative approach. Elliott executed another takedown, dropped a few elbows and set off a scramble. Soon after, Asakura found himself hopelessly entangled in the guillotine. Elliott moved to a mounted position, increased the torque and prompted the tapout after an extended struggle.
It was Elliott’s first guillotine choke submission in nearly a decade.
Continue Reading » UFC 316 Prelims: Joseph Morales Triangle Choke Stops Alibi Idiris in ‘The Ultimate Fighter 33’ Flyweight Final
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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