Khamzat Chimaev UFC 319 Title Win: MMA Stars With Contrasting Instant Reactions

At UFC 319, there was no falling anvil, no dramatic twist, but sheer domination. The pay-per-view closed at Chicago’s United Center with Khamzat Chimaev dismantling Dricus Du Plessis across five one-sided rounds to become the 15th undisputed middleweight champion in UFC history. From the opening bell, Du Plessis never found his footing. Chimaev secured a takedown within the first 30 seconds of every round and never let up, smothering the South African with relentless grappling and pressure. 

Round after round, the story stayed the same, until the final horn confirmed what was already obvious. All three judges scored the bout 50-44 for ‘Borz,’ sealing one of the most dominant championship victories in recent memory. In the aftermath, the MMA world wasted no time weighing in on Chimaev’s statement-making performance. And leading the charge was none other than Conor McGregor. 

Instant Reactions

Conor McGregor and Mighty Mouse Congratulate Khamzat Chimaev

It’s safe to say Conor McGregor knows a thing or two about dominance in championship fights. His legendary performances against José Aldo at UFC 194 and Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 are etched in MMA history. So when the Irishman tuned in to UFC 319, he was clearly impressed by what he saw. After Chimaev’s title-winning performance, McGregor took to X to post: “Chechnya’s first UFC Champion! Congrats!”

 

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In his watch-along, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson defended Khamzat against the fans in Chicago and on social media. He was asked about the fight being boring as a result of the time spent on the ground with full control, and that Chimaev wasn’t able to finish. He shot back: “If you guys don’t want to watch grappling, wrestling, and jiu jitsu, don’t watch the UFC. Go watch One Championship. Go watch Lion Fighting. Go watch kickboxing. Go watch Muay Thai.”

Nate Diaz and Sean Strickland Slam the Champ

Not everyone, however, shared the same enthusiasm. McGregor’s longtime rival, Nate Diaz, reacted on social media with a jab at Chimaev, writing that he “can’t fight.” For context, Chimaev and Diaz were once scheduled to meet at welterweight at UFC 279, but the matchup was scrapped after Chimaev missed weight, leading to a reshuffled card.

Im probably the only one in the UFC that can out grapple that little whore for 5 rounds….

Well looks like I gotta stack some Ws to fight that little bitch lmao

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) August 17, 2025

The harshest criticism came from Chimaev’s former training partner, Sean Strickland. In a fiery, expletive-filled rant, Strickland claimed he could take Chimaev down and outwrestle him. He went on to say his focus is on stacking wins and eventually returning to reclaim the middleweight title from the new kingpin. 

Khamzat Chimaev Fires Back at Sean Strickland at the UFC 319 Post-Fight Presser 

It didn’t take long for Khamzat Chimaev to fire back at Sean Strickland following his dominant title win. During the UFC 319 post-fight press conference, a reporter asked the newly crowned champion about Strickland’s claims that he used to outwrestle him in the gym. Chimaev responded with a smile before shutting down his former training partner and dismissing the remarks entirely.

“Bro Dricus take him down many times, how can he take me down? I beat him everywhere, striking. This guy talks too much, he’s a funny guy,” Chimaev quipped. 

 

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Even before UFC 319, tensions were already high between Chimaev and Strickland. ‘Tarzan’ once again accused Chimaev of picking lower-calibre training partners in the gym. In response, “Borz” fired back, saying: “When I was there, he never said anything. When I left Las Vegas, when they stopped my visa, he started to talk. When I came back, I’m in L.A., bro. Come on. If it’s something personal for you, just come. I’m here. Whenever he wants.”

And based on Chimaev’s latest performance, his words carry weight. Against former champion Du Plessis, he racked up more than 21 minutes of control time, threatened with multiple crucifix attempts, and landed over 500 total strikes, a masterclass in domination. Meanwhile, Strickland failed to defeat Du Plessis in two separate outings.

Main image credit: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire