What’s next for the stars of UFC 319?

The UFC was in Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday, August 16, for a solid UFC 319 card. The main event saw middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis defending his belt against Khamzat Chimaev. The co-main event saw Lerone Murphy taking on newly signed Aaron Pico.

Ultimately, it was Chimaev who dominated Du Plessis in all five rounds as he controlled him on the ground for a lopsided win to become the new champ. In the co-main event, Murphy scored a stunning first-round highlight-reel KO win. Following UFC 319, here is what I think should be next for the stars of the event.

Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev is the new UFC middleweight champion as he dominated Dricus Du Plessis in all five rounds. Chimaev was able to take the South African down at will and control him to get the win.

Chimaev’s first title defense should be against the winner of Nassourdine Imavov vs Caio Borralho, which headlines UFC Paris on September 6. But, if Chimaev does turn around in Abu Dhabi as he says, it’s likely they won’t be ready to make that turnaround, so Anthony Hernandez could get his shot.

Dricus Du Plessis

Dricus Du Plessis lost his middleweight title at UFC 319, as he was dominated by Khamzat Chimaev. Du Plessis couldn’t defend Chimaev’s takedowns. It will be something he needs to work on if he works his way back up to a rematch.

A logical next fight for Du Plessis is to take on Reinier de Ridder in a No. 1 contender fight. This is a fight that the fans want to see, and it can headline a Fight Night card sometime in early 2026, with the winner getting a title shot.

Lerone Murphy

Lerone Murphy took this fight against Aaron Pico on short notice at UFC 319 and made a statement. Despite being unbeaten, Murphy had struggled to get much hype.

However, at UFC 319, Murphy scored a spinning back elbow KO of Pico in the first round to make a statement. After the win, Alexander Volkanovski called out Murphy, and that fight should be next and should happen in December.

Aaron Pico

Aaron Pico entered the UFC with a ton of hype and was already taking shots at Alexander Volkanovski. However, Pico got caught by an elbow and was knocked out.

After the loss at UFC 319, Pico will take a ton of time off to make sure his brain is healthy for his return. When he does return, Pico will need a step-down in competition, and a fight against veteran Andre Fili makes sense. Fili is coming off an upset win over Christian Rodriguez, and it will be a good test for both fighters.