Athletes
Where We Stand: Middleweight Division | August 2025
Khamzat Chimaev Lived Up To Expectations And Then Some As He Took The Belt From Dricus Du Plessis
From the moment Khamzat Chimaev burst onto the scene in 2020, he was tabbed as a future champion, and at UFC 319, he lived up to that expectation in full. Chimaev dominated incumbent middleweight king Dricus Du Plessis over 25 minutes to take the throne, and he won’t have to wait long for his first challenger to distinguish himself.
This is where we stand in the middleweight division:
Champion: Khamzat Chimaev
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Win vs Dricus Du Plessis (8/16/2025)
Next fight: N/A
Khamzat Chimaev Octagon Interview | UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev
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Khamzat Chimaev Octagon Interview | UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev
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Outlook: “Borz” controlled virtually every moment of his decision win over Du Plessis, showing he had the cardio for a full five rounds and therefore putting to bed the biggest question mark around him as a fighter. Chimaev did not lose focus at any point in the fight and can now look ahead to building his own championship legacy. The first threat to his title will likely come from the main event between Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho in Paris, but streaking middleweights Anthony Hernandez and Reinier de Ridder could throw their names in the ring with another win before 2025 comes to a close.
1) Dricus Du Plessis
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Loss vs Khamzat Chimaev (8/16/2025)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: After putting together an impressive title run and reign, “Stillknocks” is back to the drawing board as he pursues two-time champion status. The top of the division has shuffled just enough for him to have options, as well. Holding wins over three of the division’s top 8 helps his case immensely. With that in mind, fights against the winner between Hernandez and de Ridder or Borralho and Imavov make sense for the South African. At 31, he does have time on his side, as well.
2) Nassourdine Imavov
Last Fight: TKO Win vs Israel Adesanya (2/1/2025)
Next fight: vs Caio Borralho (9/6/2025)
Outlook: Imavov’s knockout win over Adesanya still stands as one of the biggest non-title wins in the division this year. With his winning streak stretched to four, Imavov can put a bow on his case for a title shot with a main event win over Borralho in his adopted home of Paris. The 30-year-old seems to have put everything in place as he enters his prime, and should he take care of business on September 6, he chould be staring at a crack at gold in the coming months.
3) Sean Strickland
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Loss vs Dricus Du Plessis (2/8/2025)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: After losing his bid to regain the title against Du Plessis in February, Strickland took a step back from competition as he sorts out his next move. The 34-year-old hasn’t made it clear as to when he would like to return, but he remains a fixture in the title picture. With Du Plessis out of the way, Strickland could be a win or two away from another shot at gold. Adesanya continues to verbalize his interest in a rematch with Strickland, but Strickland could also wait for some chips to fall and fight anyone from Hernandez and de Ridder to Michael “Venom” Page.
4) Israel Adesanya
Last Fight: TKO Loss vs Nassourdine Imavov (2/1/2025)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: “The Last Stylebender” is more than two years removed from his stunning knockout win over Alex Pereira, a surprising but sobering reality. The two-time middleweight champion looked sharp in his fight with Imavov before getting caught with the right hand which started the finishing sequence. For Adesanya, the main crux of his future circulates around his drive and interest, and all signs and quotes point toward an imminent return. He has floated the idea of rematches with Strickland and Paulo Costa, but without a timeline laid out yet, all of that is chalked up to speculation.
5) Reinier de Ridder
Last Fight: Split Decision Win vs Robert Whittaker (7/26/2025)
Next fight: vs Anthony Hernandez (10/18/2025)
Outlook: Other than Imavov beating Adesanya, de Ridder’s gritty decision win over Whittake is probably the most significant non-championship result of the year so far in the division. The Dutchman has acquitted himself to the organization well, scoring four wins in eight months and could arguably be one win away from a title shot. He could do just that with a win in Vancouver over Hernandez.
In the Mix: Anthony Hernandez, Caio Borralho
Outlook: There might not be a fighter outside of their division’s top 5 hotter than Anthony Hernandez. Since his loss to Kevin Holland in May 2020, “Fluffy” is on a hellacious tear. Eight wins, six finishes and four performance bonuses decorate the 31-year-old’s record over the last five years, and his latest win over Roman Dolidze seemed to finally convince the wider fandom of his excellence. With an endless gas tank, nonstop pressure and a sickening love for a gritty fight, Hernandez is becoming a fan-favorite, and he can parlay that into “title contender” with another big win. In October, he gets the chance to secure just that when he faces de Ridder in a main event clash in Vancouver.
With teammates Carlos Prates, Jean Silva and Mauricio Ruffy stealing headlines over the last 20 months or so, it’s kind of easy to forget Borralho was the first one to get the Fighting Nerd hype train going. Since earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in October 2021, Borralho is perfect through seven trips to the Octagon, with his latest two wins standing as his finest. First came a knockout win in Brazil over Paul Craig at UFC 301 followed by a Fight of the Night decision win over Cannonier. “The Natural” gets his big crack at the title picture as he wades into enemy territory against Imavov, but a win could certainly put the Brazilian across from Chimaev sooner rather than later.
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