*Dricus Du Plessis throws a heavy head kick at Israel Adesanya. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

The UFC heads to the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, with a spectacular pay-per-view card. From top to bottom, this card is full of exciting matchups and top-level fighters all in pursuit of a highlight victory this Saturday night. In the co-main event, we’ll see the quickly-rising Lerone Murphy square off with a dangerous UFC debutant in Aaron Pico. In the main event, undefeated marauder Khamzat Chimaev receives his long-awaited shot at Middleweight gold against the dominant champion, Dricus Du Plessis. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

#11 Tim Elliott vs. #15 Kai Asakura

*Tim Elliott viciously submits Sumudaerji with an arm triangle choke. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Flyweight Bout

Tim Elliott: 21-13-1, 3 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.

Kai Asakura: 21-5-0, 13 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Elliott has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #12 ranked Flyweight Tagir Ulanbekov (17-2-0), Sumudaerji (17-7-0), and Victor Altamirano (12-5-0). He is a veteran grappler with outstanding wrestling and unorthodox striking. He has a very awkward style on his feet, remaining in perpetual motion and attacking from odd angles. Elliott is landing, on average, nearly four takedowns per fifteen minutes and will often shoot very early on. He has excellent timing, typically securing his shots quickly and often in open space where he can control and keep his opponent on the mat. He has outstanding scrambles and heavy top control, maintaining his position while constantly looking to posture up and do damage. Elliott holds various UFC Flyweight records, including the most takedowns landed (59), the most total strikes landed (1786), and the most unanimous decision victories (7).

*Kai Asakura fires a head kick at Alexandre Pantoja. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Asakura has won three of his last five bouts and is looking for his first UFC victory. A former Rizin Bantamweight champion, he’s a powerful, well-rounded scrapper who pushes a heavy pace throughout. He has serious power in his hands and particularly dangerous knees, constantly varying his attacks between the head and body. Asakura often looks to counterstrike, using his distance management and head movement to catch his opponents with heavy shots as they enter the pocket. He throws everything with power and in combination, but remains elusive and technical, never telegraphing his attacks. Training at Japan Top Team, he has excellent takedown defense and scrambles, often finding himself in top position following grappling exchanges. Asakura is at his best when he’s controlling the pace and the center of the cage, but he is willing to brawl and has a solid chin.

#9 Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page

*Jared Cannonier blasts Gregory Rodrigues with a powerful right hand. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Middleweight Bout

Jared Cannonier: 18-8-0, 11 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Michael Page: 23-3-0, 13 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Cannonier has won three of his last five outings and has UFC victories over #2 ranked Middleweight Sean Strickland (29-7-0), #13 ranked Middleweight Marvin Vettori (19-9-1), and Gregory Rodrigues (17-6-0). He has fought at Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight in his promotional tenure and carries that Heavyweight power at 185 pounds. He throws everything with fight-ending intentions, constantly pressing forward and looking for openings to land the knockout blow. Cannonier has excellent footwork and regularly switches stances, typically opening up his combinations with his jab. Training at the MMA LAB, Cannonier is fantastic at moving in and out of the pocket and usually won’t stay at range for long, often throwing damaging leg kicks when outside of the pocket. What he lacks in volume, he makes up for in power, and his pace increases as the fight continues. Cannonier is one of just two fighters in UFC history to possess knockout victories in three different weight classes and is always dangerous.

*Michael Page unloads an elbow onto Shara Magomedov. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Page has won three of his last five fights, holding UFC victories over Kevin Holland (26-13-0) and Shara Magomedov (16-1-0). Arguably the biggest star in Bellator history, he held a record of 17-2 in the promotion in his decade-long tenure. One of the most dangerous kickboxers in the sport, he has a fantastic arsenal of flashy kicks and flashier celebrations. Training at London Shootfighters, Page is in perpetual motion, keeping his hands down and his stance wide, looking for openings to land devastating kicks or combinations. He never telegraphs his attacks, constantly changes his target, and has fantastic distance management. He won’t typically pursue grappling exchanges, but has solid takedown defense and submissions. With 13 finishes in the first round, Page can produce a highlight-reel knockout at any time.

#11 Geoff Neal vs. #12 Carlos Prates

*Geoff Neal tags Santiago Ponzinibbio with a left hand as he charges into the pocket. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Welterweight Bout

Geoff Neal: 16-6-0, 10 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Carlos Prates: 21-7-0, 16 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Neal has won three of his last five bouts and holds wins over #1 ranked Welterweight Belal Muhammad (24-4-0), Rafael Dos Anjos (32-17-0), and Vicente Luque (23-11-1). He has serious power in his hands and throws everything in combination, always fighting behind his jab. Although he’s always aggressive, he remains technical throughout, keeping his punches tight and straight and his guard high. Neal has excellent head movement and is defensively sound, having successfully defended 57% of significant strikes attempted on him in the UFC. Training at Fortis MMA, he does a great job of varying his shots and attacking from different angles, but will regularly look to set up his left hand. He holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has decent wrestling with outstanding takedown defense. Neal has great cardio and is dangerous at all times, pushing a consistent pace and carrying his power throughout the fight.

*Carlos Prates unloads ground and pound shots onto Ian Machado Garry. Credit: Yahoo Sports.*

Prates has won four of his last five outings, with UFC victories coming over Trevin Giles (16-7-0), Neil Magny (30-14-0), and Li Jingliang (19-9-0). He’s a destructive, technical striker with serious power in his hands. He favors power to volume, throwing every shot with fight-ending intentions, and can produce a flash knockout at any time. Prates varies his shots well, attacking the head and body with equal tenacity, and will constantly look to land knees to the body. Training with Fighting Nerds, he has excellent distance management and is always coming forward while remaining technical and composed, never telegraphing his attacks. He’s unlikely to take the fight to the mat but has solid takedown defense, capable of defending shots both in open space and against the cage. Prates won ten of his last eleven fights via knockout and always leaves everything inside the octagon.

#6 Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico

*Lerone Murphy lands a cracking left hand on Josh Emmett. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Featherweight Bout

Lerone Murphy: 16-0-1, 7 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Aaron Pico: 13-4-0, 9 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Murphy is undefeated and has UFC victories over #8 ranked Featherweight Josh Emmett (19-5-0), #14 ranked Featherweight Dan Ige (19-10-0), and Edson Barboza (24-12-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper who’s dangerous everywhere and has solid power in his hands. He’s in perpetual motion, regularly feinting and staying at range before blitzing in with looping hooks and overhands. Murphy is patient on the feet, constantly looking for openings before firing combinations with no tell or load-up. He is averaging over one takedown landed and nearly one submission attempted per fifteen minutes. Training at Manchester Top Team, he’s strong in the clinch, never accepts position on the mat, and has excellent scrambles. Murphy pushes a heavy pace at all times, averaging 102 significant strikes landed in his last five appearances.

*Aaron Pico digs a brutal shot to the body of Adli Edwards. Credit: Bellator MMA.*

Pico has won four of his last five fights and is making his UFC debut. Arriving in the UFC after spending his whole 17-fight career in Bellator, he’s a dangerous wrestler with serious punching power. He pushes a heavy pace from the opening bell, always coming forward and forcing his opponent to the outside, where he can control the center. Pico has one-shot knockout power, throwing everything with impressive speed while favoring power to volume. Training at Jackson-Wink Training Center, he will pursue takedowns early, typically securing them quickly, but is willing to work along the fence and chain together attempts to bring the fight to the mat. He has excellent top pressure and heavy ground and pound, constantly looking to posture up and do damage from top position. Pico has secured seven of his eleven finishes in the first round and is highly dangerous early on.

(C) Dricus Du Plessis vs. #3 Khamzat Chimaev

*Dricus Du Plessis postures up to unload brutal ground and pound shots onto Robert Whittaker. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Middleweight Title Bout

Dricus Du Plessis: 23-2-0, 9 KO/TKO, 11 Sub.

Khamzat Chimaev: 14-0-0, 6 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.

Du Plessis is on an eleven-fight win streak and has UFC victories over #2 ranked Middleweight Sean Strickland (29-7-0), #4 ranked Middleweight Israel Adesanya (24-5-0), and #8 ranked Middleweight Robert Whittaker (27-9-0). He’s a marauding scrapper who’s always coming forward looking to do damage. He has one-shot knockout power and can produce a finish at any time, with many of his knockouts seemingly coming from nowhere. Training at CIT Performance Institute, Du Plessis has power in both hands and will regularly blitz forward to unload heavy combinations. He throws everything with power but puts out impressive volume as well, landing, on average, about 101 significant strikes in his last five outings. He frequently mixes grappling into his attacks, averaging over two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes. Du Plessis is as dangerous on the mat as on his feet, possessing vicious ground and pound and outstanding chokes.

*Khamzat Chimaev looks to secure a rear naked choke on Kevin Holland. Credit: Yahoo Sports.*

Chimaev is undefeated and has UFC victories over #5 ranked Welterweight Kamaru Usman (21-4-0), #8 ranked Middleweight Robert Whittaker (27-9-0), and #10 ranked Welterweight Gilbert Burns (22-9-0). He is a prolific finisher with dominant grappling and serious power. He’s dangerous on his feet but will often shoot early, typically taking his opponent down quickly with a blast double leg. Training at Allstars Training Center, Chimaev is a powerful wrestler, using devastating ground and pound and heavy top pressure to punish his opponent on the mat. He’s a lengthy fighter and makes excellent use of it, often landing power shots at range and using his striking to set up his wrestling attack. He’s never been taken down in the UFC and averages over four takedowns landed per fifteen minutes, almost always dictating where the fight occurs. Nine of Chimaev’s twelve finishes have come in the first round, and he’s at his best early on, remaining dangerous but slowing as the fight continues.

Best Bets

Michael Page Moneyline: An outstanding matchup of two dangerous scrappers, I’m excited for this one. Although both are strikers, their styles differ massively; Cannonier is a power puncher, constantly looking to close the distance and let his hands go inside the pocket. Page is much more movement-based, looking to evade his opponent and land damage from range while looking for openings to land damaging kicks and flashy attacks. Page is also the taller, lengthier fighter, with a four-inch height advantage and a one-and-a-half-inch reach advantage. Cannonier historically has struggled against big, technical kickboxers, suffering tough losses against the likes of Israel Adesanya, Caio Borralho, and Nassourdine Imavov. With Page’s perpetual movement and outstanding distance management, Cannonier will struggle to get into the pocket to find Page’s chin. Page also has a definite speed advantage, especially with Cannonier’s tendency to load up before firing power shots. I expect Page to float along the outside of the octagon, peppering Cannonier with kicks and punches and avoiding the pocket. I anticipate Page wearing out Cannonier with his elusiveness, constantly making Cannonier miss his heavy punches and forcing him to pursue him. Ultimately, I expect Page to control the pace and the distance en route to a victory on Saturday.

Neal vs. Prates to Not Go the Distance: This is an excellent bout between two heavy-hitting Welterweights. Both of these fighters are always pushing the action, and I expect plenty of fireworks when the bell rings. Neal employs a boxing-style approach, favoring his hands and power to get the job done. Prates is more of a Muay Thai striker, making use of all of his limbs and constantly attacking. Regardless of their differences, both are true scrappers and are always willing to throw down inside the pocket. In a combined fifty professional fights, they have produced 30 finishes with 26 knockouts, rarely seeing the judges’ scorecards. I expect them to meet in the middle from the opening bell, exchanging heavy blows and throwing caution to the wind. Given both of these fighters’ finishing ways and tendency to never back down, I’d be shocked to see this matchup go all three rounds.

Du Plessis vs. Chimaev Over 2.5 Rounds: Many fans have been waiting to see this matchup for a long time, and it’s finally arrived. Both of these fighters are undefeated in the UFC, with their own dominant runs up to this bout. Both are extremely well-rounded and dangerous anywhere the fight goes, and will put it all on the line for gold. Du Plessis is looking to defend his title for a third time, while this will be Chimaev’s first title shot. This is a tough matchup for both men, as neither seems to have faced a fighter of the caliber of the other. Du Plessis has never faced someone with the power or wrestling pedigree of Chimaev, while Chimaev has never faced someone with the scrambling or striking skills of Du Plessis. Given both men’s abilities inside the cage as well as their durability, I’d be surprised to see this bout end quickly. While I don’t expect any kind of feeling-out process or a slow start, I do anticipate them cancelling each other out and remaining highly competitive early on. I’m unsure of how this fight will end, but I’m confident that it will last at least two and a half rounds.

UFC 319 Preview