The Bigger Picture | UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev

The fight felt over in the first minute, as Chimaev put Du Plessis on the canvas in less than 15 seconds, advancing to the mounted crucifix position and chipping away while the champion struggled to find a way out and avoid getting busted up. The same pattern persisted for the next three rounds before “Stillknocks” had a little success fending off Chimaev’s advances in the fifth while still getting taken down and failing to chase down the finish he desperately needed, but could not find.

This is where many people anticipated Chimaev would get when he stormed the beaches of Fight Island and ran through John Phillips and Rhys McKee in a handful of days, and while it took a little longer than most would have expected, he’s arrived and stands as an imposing, unbeaten Goliath atop the middleweight division.

MORE: Chimaev Post-Fight Presser

His grappling is otherworldly — fast, technical, and powerful, and he beats opponents to the next position every single time, which is maybe the most daunting part of it all for the people stuck in the Octagon with him. Just when you think you’ve wriggled away, Chimaev is back around your waist or your ankles or on a leg, stripping you of hope and bringing you back into the misery.

History tells us that very few athletes ever navigate their careers unscathed and the times when we think a champion could reign for eternity are usually the instances where things go sideways quickly, but right now, one sleep removed from witnessing Chimaev fully neutralize Du Plessis, it’s difficult to see the new champion being dethroned any time soon because we have yet to see anyone shut down his primary weapon or put him in any real jeopardy.

Murphy has been the dark horse in the division for a couple years now, steadily adding to his unbeaten run inside the Octagon and overall by earning clean wins over tough outs, but often remained out of the title conversation while more established names were frequently bandied about. But his days of being relegated to the background are over, and it should not surprise anyone if this performance was exactly what he needed in order to secure that elusive date opposite the Australian champion.

UFC 319 REWIND: Main Card Results | Prelim Results | Official Scorecards | Bonus Winners

There are others that will undoubtedly want their individual cases to be heard, but Murphy made a deafening statement on Saturday night, and is, at the very least, the clubhouse leader in the race to secure the next title opportunity, and getting past him is going to take a similarly emphatic effort.

Revenge Of The Nerds

The Fighting Nerds had three athletes compete on Saturday night in Chicago, and all three exited the Octagon victorious, sporting the team’s signature spectacles with white tape around the center and left arm.

Karine Silva earned a hard-fought, though debated, decision win over compatriot Dione Barbosa before the team’s Polish exchange student Michal Oleksiejczuk blew through Gerald Meerschaert for his second consecutive first-round finish since joining the Sao Paulo-based team. And then in the featured bout of the main card, Carlos Prates closed out the opening round of his combustible pairing with Geoff Neal by hitting the Fortis MMA man with a spinning back elbow that sounded like a batting-practice fastball getting blasted into the bleachers, capping the team’s perfect evening in the cage.

While the team has been enjoying a great deal of success over the last few years, this is one of those moments that I know the team’s head coach Pablo Sucupira is going to particularly relish because both Silva and Prates came into their fights off losses and he puts a great deal of importance and weight on showing how the team responds to adversity. Both earned quality wins against very good opponents and being able to return to the gym this week and point to those efforts as further evidence that what they’re doing is highly effective surely means a lot to the thoughtful leader of the sport’s hottest team.

As great a night as the Fighting Nerds had on Saturday, it’s not like things are slowing down for them now, either: team captain Caio Borralho headlines in Paris two weeks from now against Nassourdine Imavov with lightweight standout Mauricio Ruffy facing Benoit Saint Denis in the co-main event, while Jean Silva squares off with Diego Lopes in the main event of this year’s Noche UFC event in San Antonio the following week.

Quick Hitters

Michael “Venom” Page showed a little of the flash and pizzaz that made him such a captivating figure in is pre-UFC days on Saturday, dropping Jared Cannonier, staggering him, and thoroughly enjoying himself through the first two rounds on the way to a second straight middleweight win. The 38-year-old feels perfectly suited to being in entertaining main card matchups, so whether it’s at 170 pounds or 185, get him in there with someone that understands the assignment and let’s keep having fun with “MVP” inside the Octagon.

The Michigan native reminds me of a quality starter on a championship-level basketball team — think Kevon Looney with the Golden State Warriors or Bruce Bowen during the San Antonio Spurs dynasty — where they know who they are, how to be successful, and thrive in that position. In an era where we’re hyper-focused on superstars and “rings culture” is pervasive, fighters like Klose never get the appreciation they deserve for putting together lengthy, largely successful careers.

How can you not be happy for Joseph Morales? He had a three-fight cup of coffee with the UFC a handful of years back, winning his debut before losing to future champ Deiveson Figueiredo and dropping a split decision to Eric Shelton, and then battled injuries and a lack of opportunities on the regional circuit before joining the cast of The Ultimate Fighter this season and earning his way back to the roster with a second-round submission win to open Saturday’s fight card.

One Last Thing

Even I can’t fully comprehend what it means to earn a contract on Tuesday evening in Las Vegas and then earn a win in your UFC debut four nights later in Chicago, but we have to take a minute to really address the week Baisangur Susurkaev had last week.

The Chechen prospect folded Murtaza Talha over with a body kick midway through the opening week of Dana White’s Contender Series, earning the boss’ praise and a spot on the UFC roster. He then lobbied to fight on Saturday alongside his training partner and friend Khamzat Chimaev, his wish was granted, and he navigated a tough fight with a very game Eric Nolan to collect a second-round stoppage win and a Performance of the Night bonus, too.