Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Football
Netball
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Find your frequency hereUFC 319 preview: Can Du Plessis defend his crown against Chimaev in Chicago?
Stephen Foote • August 14th, 2025 3:28 pm
One of the most anticipated UFC events of 2025 finally hits our screens this weekend.
UFC 319 gets underway Sunday at 2pm (NZ time), headlined by a fight many - have pegged as one of - if not, the - most intriguing bouts of the year, with Dricus Du Plessis putting his middleweight crown on the line against Khamzat Chimaev.
Let's dive into some of the feature bouts to take place at Chicago's United Center, and in particular, where the juiciest betting opportunities with betcha await.
This is a mouthwatering stylistic matchup between two undefeated fighters who are at the top of their game - the unorthodox warrior attempting to defend his belt for a third time against the enigmatic grappling phenom Khamzat Chimaev.
The Russian is coming off a devastating first-round finish of former champ Robert Whittaker, which left the Aussie with a gruesome broken jaw and Chimaev's stocks soar to an all-time high.
But as he's so often proven, South African Du Plessis is one of the most durable and determined combatants in the promotion.
Chimaev has plenty of highlights to his name, but does he have what it takes to outlast a warlord like 'Still Knocks' over the course of five rounds?
The knock on Chimaev has been that for all of his explosive first-round exploits, the going gets much tougher for him beyond, and any time he's come up against another capable grappler - as we saw against Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns - that dominance, as well as his cardio, tends to fade.
On the flipside, Du Plessis is known to be relatively slow out of the blocks, getting stronger as the fight progresses and he gets his reads locked in.
Being a slow starter won't be ideal against Chimaev, who will undoubtedly fly out of the gates.
But what happens if Du Plessis is able to stay patient in the chaos - a chaos he's proven to embrace himself - and survive that early onslaught, then drag Khamzat into the deep waters in the fourth and fifth rounds - rounds he's not yet seen in his career?
I think it's a genuine possibility, and at $3.00 on betcha head-to-head, there's some serious value to be had. DDP just gets better every time he steps inside the Octagon, and I'm done doubting him.
Alternatively, if you're taking Khamzat, take him early and take him for the finish.
Michelle Montague on discovering she'd been signed by the UFC | Fight Club
This is another matchup where I see enormous value for the underdog, in this case the Brit Lerone Murphy.
After forging a deserved reputation as one of the premier fighters on the planet outside of the UFC, Pico will make his debut on the big stage as one of the most coveted free agent signings of the past five years.
The American wrestles like a demon but he's also extremely well rounded, and he's riding that hype train into Sunday's bout as a $1.55 favourite.
But the masses are sleeping on Murphy. Undefeated through nine bouts in his UFC tenure, he's coming off a one-sided victory over a dangerous Josh Emmett. Perhaps it's the lack of finishes through that streak that have given the pundits pause.
And if the recent history of PFL/Bellator fighters making the step up to the UFC is anything to go by, who's to say Pico won't be the latest to freeze under the significantly brighter lights of the big stage, as was the case with his ex-stablemates Patchy Mix and Patricky Pitbull?
At $2.50, the Englishman is a tantalising prospect on the moneyline punt.
Here's one which follows a similar tangent to the above.
Tim Elliott, that hard-nosed veteran taking on another marquee signing in former RIZIN world champion Kai Asakura.
So enormous was the fanfare behind Asakura's recruitment by the UFC, he was thrown instantly into a title bout against flyweight world champion Alexandre Pantoja, where he quickly found out about the chasm in quality in a second-round submission defeat.
It would certainly benefit to see Asakaura get his train out of the station on the UFC platform with a highlight victory, but Elliott is no under-arm lob.
The American is one of the most experienced fighters in the division and is most comfortable fighting in the trenches.
He's also never been knocked out. Does Asakura have the chops on the mat to negotiate three gritty rounds of toil on the canvas?
I'd back Asakura to get the job done, but Elliott at $3.30 head-to-head is a very tempting value proposition.
All betcha odds are current at the time of publishing - R18, please gamble responsibly.
Listen to the full episode below:
