White reacts to Chimaev's dominance at UFC 319: 'Didn't see that coming'
UFC CEO Dana White didn't expect newly crowned middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev to destroy Dricus Du Plessis the way he did at UFC 319.
Chimaev smothered Du Plessis on the ground in all five rounds, completing 12 takedowns and outstriking him 529-45 to win a lopsided unanimous decision in Saturday's main event in Chicago.
"In the leadup to this fight, I said, 'I bet the main event is the Fight of the Night.' Didn't see that coming, but not shocked either," White said of Chimaev's dominant performance at the postfight press conference. "I mean, you go in and dominate the way that he dominated, you do it the first round, more than likely you can do it the second and throughout the rest of the fight."
Chimaev was favored to win the 185-pound title at UFC 319, but many believed Du Plessis was poised to give the 31-year-old Chechen the toughest test of his career. Du Plessis, who was undefeated in the promotion until Saturday and had defended the belt twice, has a strong gas tank and the ability to wear on his opponents in deep waters.
In the end, though, Chimaev delivered one of the most dominant performances ever in a title fight. Now that "Borz" is the middleweight champion, White is curious to see if his popularity will reach new heights.
"Yeah, he's a big star now," White said when asked if Chimaev could become the biggest star in MMA. "He's a big star. When you're asking me, 'How much bigger can he be?' I don't know, we'll see. But he's already a big star."
White added: "When we were on Fight Island (in 2020), (Chimaev) said, 'I want to fight next Saturday.' Ever since then, the guy's been a rocket ship. ... People love him."
The UFC CEO also praised Du Plessis for hanging tough throughout the fight.
"Getting dominated on the ground and punched in the face and elbowed, it's a very frustrating place to be," White said. "I thought he handled it well. He came out every round trying to get in the fight and trying to win. Impressive."