Dana White and the matchmaking team have been working on preparing the fight card for some of the upcoming fights, with some top headliners approaching soon. The much-awaited Dricus du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev title match will take place at UFC 319, and the matchmakers recently dropped a list of a few fights for that PPV. However, the announced fights failed to live up to the fans’ expectations.
Well, the main event with the middleweight title on the line will no doubt be a banger of a fight with two different styles of fighters getting at each other. Besides the Khamzat Chimaev vs Dricus du Plessis fight, the card also includes the fights between Edson Barboza and Drakkar Klose, middleweight contenders Gerald Meerschaert and Michael Oleksiejczuk, Bryan Battle and Nursulton Ruziboev, Kai Asakura and Tim Elliot, among others.
Also, UFC 319 will have a feature bout between former Bellator star Michael ‘Venom’ Page and former middleweight title contender Jared Cannonier. However, there was no mention of which of these fights would be on the co-main event spot at the pay-per-view in Chicago, Illinois. So far, Dana White and Co. have announced a total of 10 fights for the Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev headliner.
The UFC have officially announced UFC 319 on August 16 in Chicago headlined by a middleweight title bout between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.
Michael “Venom” Page vs. Jared Cannonier was also announced as a feature bout.
Here are the other bouts announced thus far pic.twitter.com/6kAYt1ffJM
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) June 17, 2025
Well, the fans, although they found some fights to be great, weren’t fully satisfied with Dana White and Co.’s plans for UFC 319. And guess what? The majority of the fans on social media expressed their displeasure with it. Here’s what they had to say.
Fans are not pleased with the Dricus du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev headliner fight card
It seems like the UFC fans are really looking forward to an exciting evening of blockbuster matchups on August 16, indicating that the UFC cannot rely on just the fight between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev. The fans have made their opinions known and don’t like the current state of the fight card, as we don’t have any word about what UFC 320 will look like, which will take place the month after UFC 319. “Pretty disappointing tbh. Thought it would be heavier especially with no September PPV,” one fan wrote on X in that regard.
Furthermore, there were a couple of fans who were skeptical about the co-main event fight. Despite the entertaining nature of Michael ‘Venom’ Page, the fans don’t want to see him fight Jared Cannonier in the co-main event. They want something bigger and better. On that note, a couple of fans commented, “Should I cancel my hotel? /: that’s not a good co main for a ppv. Still holding out hope lol,” and, “Cannonier vs mvp is the co main are you serious?” Meanwhile, there were some fans calling for Dana White and Co. to put more value into the Du Plessis vs Chimaev PPV.
Maybe Dana White adds a top-tier matchup between top contenders, or maybe a fight with similar stakes to that of the main event would work, according to a user on X. He wrote, “Need another title fight or better feature fight.” Nevertheless, there were some fans who appeared quite hopeful of witnessing some action in some of the fights that others are counting out at UFC 319.
May 4, 2023, Newark, NJ, NEWARK, NJ, United States: Newark NJ – May 4: Dana White speaks to the press and the fans at UFC288 – Sterling vs Cejudo – press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz at Prudential Center on May 4, 2023 in Newark, NJ Newark, NJ United States – ZUMAp175 20230504_zsa_p175_038 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
A lot of them seem excited to watch Bryan Battle in action. As one fan stated, “Battle vs Ruziboev is the only good fight on the prelims then,” another expressed doubts about his fight against Nursulton Ruziboev, claiming, “Feel like Bryan Battle and Ruziboev have fought twice before, feels like a fight that’s happened.” However, it’s important to note that sometimes the fights fans get excited about often turn out to be dull, and the ones they don’t expect to be good turn out to be great contests. So, a fan added, “These are pretty good sleeper fights honestly. Very nice matchmaking for once,” urging fans to expect the unexpected.
Backup fighter Imavov is officially in place. It is a testament to UFC’s cautious planning. Well, there will always be conflicting opinions when it comes to fans and their take on the fight card for UFC 319. So, what do you have to say about the Dricus du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev PPV? Drop your comments below.
The post Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev Falls Flat as UFC 319 Draws Flurry of Negative Reactions appeared first on EssentiallySports.