Looking ahead at the UFC 2025 calendar
It doesn’t seem that long ago that Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant lightweight championship belt in the octagon at the home of UFC, the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. It was an enthralling evening of fight action that also saw Alexandre Pantoja defend his flyweight title.
The UFC calendar never stops for long though, and once we have digested the fallout of UFC 318, we will be getting ready for even more pulsating bouts. There are three more evenings of UFC action at the end of July and the beginning of August before we sit down to enjoy UFC 319, which is being hosted by the United Center in Chicago.
This preview will take a look at all the big bouts expected at UFC 319 on August 16th – as well as anticipating the next few fight nights after that, including one taking place in Shanghai, China.
Top of the Bill
UFC returns to the Windy City for the eighth time in the organisation’s history, and the first time since June 2019. A packed night of fights is expected, with the headline bout being the middleweight championship meeting between current belt owner Dricus du Plessis and the undefeated contender, Khamzat Chimaev.
DDP was a champion kickboxer as a youngster in South Africa but transitioned to mixed martial arts as he got older. He fought under the EFC and KSW banners for seven years before signing a contract with UFC and making his debut in 2020. That ended in a first-round knockout win and he hasn’t looked back since.
Du Plessis has now won nine consecutive fights in UFC, becoming the first South African to claim a title at the beginning of last year when he beat Sean Strickland by split decision at UFC 297. He has now defended his title on two occasions, against the legendary Israel Adesanya and in a rematch with Strickland. He is now the favorite to extend his win streak against Khamzat Chimaev.
Born in Chechnya, Russia, Chimaev moved to Sweden when he was 18 and was a three-time freestyle wrestling champion. He only began training in mixed martial arts at the age of 23 but still uses elements of freestyle wrestling in his fighting technique. He made his UFC debut five years ago in the UAE, where he now resides.
Chimaev’s fight record is impressive, with 14 wins from 14 fights – including eight under the UFC banner. Although he has fought in the US before, many of his UFC appearances have been in Abu Dhabi, including his most recent at UFC 308, where he won by submission against Robert Whittaker in under a round. He also won Performance of the Night for that.
Other Fights on the Main Card
The UFC Middleweight Championship bout is obviously the highlight of the night but there will be ten other bouts scheduled for the event. The preliminary card looks interesting enough but there are some other big fights to enjoy before DDP and Chimaev face off.
Tim Elliott and Kai Asakura battle it out at lightweight, before a middleweight contest between Jared Cannonier and Michael Page. Then, just before the main fight of the evening, UFC fans will be treated to a welterweight bout between Geoff Neal and Carlos Prates. They were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 314 before Neal was forced to pull out because of an injury.
Neal came to UFC by winning his fight on Dana White’s Contender Series 3 and made his pro debut in 2018. He won his first five UFC-sanctioned bouts but has struggled for consistency ever since. He returned to winning ways in Abu Dhabi at UFC 308, however, defeating Rafael dos Anjos by TKO in the first round. He currently boasts a 16-6 record.
Neal’s opponent in Chicago is former Muay Thai fighter, Carlos Prates, who only made his UFC debut last year and has since won four of his five bouts – all of which he received the Performance of the Night award for. He comes into this bout on the back of his first UFC loss, to Ian Machado Garry, in April of this year. Both fighters will be keen to get back to winning ways and potentially rise up through the welterweight division.
Upcoming Fight Nights
After the excitement of UFC 319, there will be four more Fight Nights during August and September. UFC will be globetrotting during this time, with events in Shanghai, China, Paris, France, and Perth, Australia – as well as in San Antonio, Texas. UFC fans in this region of the world will be especially interested in the return to China for only the second time – and the first since 2017. A light heavyweight bout between Johnnie Walker and Zhang Mingyang is scheduled to headline, with the Chinese fighter sure to be heavily supported by his home crowd.
UFC: A Global Phenomenon
As you can see from the calendar for the next few months, UFC is truly a global sport, with fans all over the world eager to watch the best mixed martial artists go through their paces. All of these events are guaranteed to be sold out and hugely entertaining. Hopefully, we will be able to host an event here in Thailand in the very near future.
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