In the headliner, middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) puts his title on the line for the third time when he meets unbeaten – and favored – challenger Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA,

Khamzat Chimaev has never been a stranger to drama on the scales. After a few weight-cutting issues earlier in his UFC run, he made the move from welterweight to middleweight, a shift that was supposed to make fight week a little less stressful.

In a 5-round middleweight championship bout in the main event, Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev meet Saturday at UFC 319 in Chicago.

CHICAGO – UFC 319 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for live round-by-round coverage and official results beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT) from United Center ( ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+)

At the post-weigh-in press conference, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chiesa, Anthony Smith, and Chael Sonnen sat down to break down the UFC 319 card and of course, most of the talk centered on the main event between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.

Undefeated middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev has a history of being unreliable, thanks to a combination of scale fails and mysterious illnesses. That’s why the promotion booked a backup fighter for the UFC 319 pay-per-view (PPV) main event this Sat.

Ahead of his first appearance as a UFC pay-per-view main eventer this Saturday, Khamzat Chimaev offered up a comment that