It may have taken Khamzat Chimaev nine fights and over five years to finally become a UFC champion but his star power was recognized long before he had a belt around his waist. Bursting on the scene during the global pandemic,

Khamzat Chimaev earned more than just the gold when he secured a unanimous decision over Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319.

Khamzat Chimaev may not have made many new fans with his dominant win over Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319 on Saturday, but the top title challenger is taking home the UFC middleweight championship after winning a lopsided decision with a smothering grappling performance.

The UFC main card was one of the best of the year, with two spinning back elbow finishes and a dominant performance by new middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev.

Khamzat Chimaev continued to brush off Paulo Costa. Costa (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) is eager to fight with Chimaev after accusing him of sending his wife "nasty" messages on Instagram. Chimaev denied ever doing that, but Costa still insists on settling his grudge with him.

The South African was able to offer little resistance to Chimaev’s smothering wrestling game. The now-former champ compared his opponent to a “blanket,” and it seems such a strategy from the challenger has left many in the fanbase less than satisfied.

Demetrious Johnson has a simple solution for fans tired of watching wrestling-heavy fights: Change the channel. During a live YouTube reaction stream for UFC 319, Johnson gave his two cents on Saturday’s main event and broke down how Khamzat Chimaev grappled his way to a dominant decision win over Dricus du Plessis to capture the