Khamzat Chimaev proved at UFC 319 why he’s considered one of the greatest fighters in the world. But that doesn’t mean he’s the best entertainer.
To say Chimaev (15-0-0) outclassed Dricus du Plessis (23-3-0) in their fight for the UFC Middleweight Championship on Saturday would be a massive understatement. Chimaev gave DDP, the defending champion, a historical beatdown across five rounds at the United Center in Chicago, Ill.
Chimaev took down du Plessis 12 times and had control of the fight for 21:40 of the match’s 25 minutes. He won in a landslide via unanimous decision as all three judges scored it 50-44 in favor of the Russian.
There’s no questioning Chimaev’s technical prowess. However, fans who paid good money to stream the fight were not exactly delighted to watch nearly five full rounds of uneventful wrestling.
Many voiced their complaints on social media, branding Chimaev “boring” for not giving fans the exciting finish they craved.
From a technical perspective, Chimaev utterly washing DDP is beyond impressive. A challenger outclassing the champ like this is genuinely insane
— Ben Davis (@BenTheBaneDavis) August 17, 2025
From a entertainment perspective, this fucking sucks #UFC319
Bro chimaev is such a boring fighter. Fighters like him are ruining UFC
— El B (@ElB707) August 17, 2025
This main event is the biggest example of where MMA and its value as entertainment diverge a lot.
— cantonio.bsky.social (@ImCAntonio) August 17, 2025
I understand as a fighter why Chimaev fights like this, and why he would be considered the winner if every round plays out like this, but man it's such a miserable watch
Khamzat chimaev you are the most boring fighter on the roster I hate you
— Nathan (@NateL_00) August 17, 2025
Some expressed frustration that Chimaev could not find a way to get du Plessis to tap out.
Dumb sports rule – if you wrestle a guy for 25 minutes and can’t submit him you should lose
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) August 17, 2025
There’s a reason guys like Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal, and Sean O’Malley have been such big draws for the UFC despite not being as technically sound as Chimaev.
Most fans would take a huge knockout or a sick submission move over a dragged-out grappling match. But given how dominant Chimaev looked under the bright lights at UFC 319, he’s not going away anytime soon.
