UFC319 at the United Centre in Chicago, Illinois, was the eighth visit of the UFC and the first since June 2019 for UFC 238.
This event saw the flyweight final of The Ultimate Fighter season 33, with the welterweight final moved to a month later due to an injury.
There were 12 fights on the card with seven stoppages, including three submissions and five going the distance. It was also the first time a card had two spinning back fist finishes, and it happened back-to-back.
TOP PERFORMER: LERONE MURPHY
Unbeaten in his MMA career and on an eight-fight win streak in the UFC, Murphy came into the fight with wins over Josh Emmit, Dan Ige and Edson Barboza. However, Aaron Pico was brought in from Bellator and touted as a real threat to the division.
With a potential title shot dangling in front of him, the pressure was on. Murphy started slowly, possibly with the occasion getting to him. Pico, in his UFC debut, looked good and backed up Murphy for the first few minutes.
Despite his recent fights going the distance, he showcased his incredible power, timing, and technique by executing a perfect spinning elbow off the cage as Pico approached. This resulted in a stunning first-round knockout victory against the debutant.
TOP PERFORMER 2: CARLOS PRATES
After a disappointing defeat in April against Ian Garry, Prates acknowledged that he needed to redeem himself in this fight against the capable Geoff Neal. The bout was initially scheduled for April, but Neal had to withdraw due to injury, which forced Prates to step in and fight Garry instead.
The fight with Garry put an end to Pirates unbeaten streak in the UFC, and Carlos Prates was determined to make Neal pay. From the first bell, he looked loose and confident, bouncing on his toes and picking his shots; it was clear, even from the first bell Neal was in trouble.
As Prates continued to look good with an array of shots to the head and body, including several spinning kicks. This time, he connected with a perfectly timed spinning back fist that left Neal in a crumbled heap on the canvas for an explosive and satisfying KO win.
TOP PERFORMER 3: KHAMZAT CHIMAEV
Although it had been a long time coming, Chimaev, being the UFC middleweight champion, had an air of inevitability about it. From the moment he burst onto the UFC scene with two fights 10 days apart, he had been touted for the title.
However, the middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis was not coming to make up the numbers; he had earned his title the hard way against Robert Whittaker and, since then, has defended it three times, twice against Sean Strickland and once against Adesanya.
Though the fight lacked excitement, Chimaav demonstrated his exceptional wrestling ability and dominated in all five rounds, with elite-level takedowns and ground control for the full 25 minutes to become the new UFC middleweight champion.
Honourable Mentions
Tim Elliot pulled off an impressive second-round submission victory over Kai Asakara, who challenged for the flyweight title in December. Elliot, the underdog at 38, had not fought in over 18 months and needed the first round to get rid of some rust.
But a take-down at the end of the first round was telling. He came out in the second, bided his time, then got a third take down of the fight at the end of the round and eventually manoeuvred into a guillotine choke, forcing Asakura to tap.
