UFC 319 is one of the top tournaments on the Ultimate Fighting Championship 2025 calendar. The competition will take place on August 16 at the United Center arena in Chicago. This venue last hosted a similar event as part of the promotion in June 2019. The main fight of the evening is expected to be the title bout for the Middleweight championship between South African Dricus “Stillknocks” Du Plessis and Chechen-Swedish Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev, representing the United Arab Emirates. Read on for more about the tournament, prediction, and bookmakers’ odds for the participants.
UFC 319 Tournament Details
Dricus Du Plessis will compete at UFC 319 as the Middleweight champion. The South African has been in the promotion since October 2020. This is his third title defense after successful fights against Nigerian-New Zealander Israel Adesanya and American Sean Strickland, from whom he previously took the belt. Du Plessis’ opponent is also undefeated in the UFC. Khamzat Chimaev made his debut at the organization’s tournament in July 2020. In his last fight, he defeated Australian Robert John Whittaker with a submission hold.
Key information about the participants in the championship bout:
| Characteristics | Du Plessis | Chimaev |
| Age | 31 y.o. | 31 y.o. |
| Height | 185 cm | 188 cm |
| Arms span | 193 cm | 191 cm |
| Overall stats | 23–2 | 14–0 |
| UFC statistics | 9–0 | 8–0 |
| Middleweight rating | Champion | 3 |
| Pound-For-Pound rating | 4 | 14 |
The understudy for the main event of UFC 319, in case one of the participants withdraws, will be 32-year-old Brazilian Caio Borralho (17–1–1, ranked 6th).
The fight of the night at the MMA tournament in Chicago will be preceded by the following main card bouts:
- Flyweight. Kai Asakura from Japan (21–5, ranked 15th) vs. Tim Elliott from the US (20–13–1, ranked 11th).
- Middleweight. Jared Cannonier from the US (18–8, ranked 9th) vs. Michael Page from England (23–3, ranked 15th).
- Welterweight. Carlos Prates from Brazil (21–7, ranked 12th) vs. Geoff Neal from the US (16–6, ranked 11th).
- Featherweight. Lerone Murphy from England (16–0–1, ranked 6th) vs. Aaron Pico from the US (13–4, debutant in UFC).
Before that, UFC 319 viewers will be able to watch nine fights on the preliminary card. They will include two final bouts from the popular reality show The Ultimate Fighter 33. Alibi Idiris from Kazakhstan and Joseph Morales from the USA will fight in the flyweight division. Daniil Donchenko from Ukraine and Rodrigo Sezinando from Brazil will compete in the welterweight final. These bouts will take place on the early preliminary card.
UFC 319 predictions
The UFC 319 betting odds offered by bookmakers let us see who they think are the favorites in the main fights:
- Du Plessis vs Chimaev. Most predictions tend toward the challenger winning. The odds that Chimaev will come out on top are 1.35–1.4. Du Plessis is given 3.25–3.3, but the champion certainly cannot be called a clear underdog.
- Asakura vs Elliott. Although the Japanese fighter lost his only fight in the UFC so far, his status in MMA remains high. Betting on Asakura could bring a win with odds of 1.3–1.35. Tim Elliott’s chances are estimated at 3.45–3.5.
- Cannonier vs Page. This is another evenly matched contest, with predictions leaning toward a victory for the Englishman. Page is offered odds of 1.5. A bet on Cannonier will be multiplied by 2.6–2.5 times.
- Prates vs Neal. The Brazilian is considered the favorite here. The odds for Prates to win are 1.35–1.4. Those who decide to bet on Neal can increase their winnings by 3.2–3.25 times.
- Murphy vs Pico. The American’s chances are rated higher. The odds on Pico are 1.65–1.7. Betting on Murphy to win will bring 2.2–2.5 times the bet amount.
For UFC 319 betting odds are also available for the preliminary card tournament.
How to bet on UFC 319
You can bet not only on the winners of the fight. Bookmakers offer to pick from dozens of prediction options. In some cases, the odds reach 100. For example, a draw in most UFC 319 fights means a 50-fold increase in the amount wagered. Popular types of bets:
| In which round will the fight end? | Betting that the referee will declare one of the opponents the winner in a specific round ahead of time. |
| How will the fight end? | The fight will end in a knockout/disqualification, surrender as a result of a painful hold, a decision by the judges, or for another reason. |
| In which round and how will the fight end? | A bet that combines the two previous predictions. |
| Will the fight go the distance? | A bet that the opponents will go all rounds and the winner will be determined by points. |
| Total rounds | Bet on the total number of rounds |
| Total minutes | Prediction of the fight duration in minutes |
This is far from a complete selection of single bets on UFC 319. Besides, you can make accumulators and systems from predictions on tournament events. Live fans can look for offers with interesting odds after the start of the fight.
MMA is a fairly unpredictable sport, which makes betting extremely exciting.
When analyzing, it is important to pay attention to the participants’ recent fights, their styles, news from the training camp, and other factors that could influence the outcome.