Chimaev (14-0) earned his title shot by brutally submitting Whittaker in October, pushing Whittaker's front teeth out of alignment. Chimaev is 8-0 in the UFC with seven finishes. He also holds a majority decision win over former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman.

Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 and Dricus Du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 bring back to back UFC title fights.

South Africa's Dricus du Plessis will defend his UFC middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev on 16 August in Chicago. The middleweight rivals will headline UFC 319 at the United Center. Russia's Chimaev,