Although UFC 319 was one of the most exciting UFC events so far this year, it still received criticism from one of the biggest stars in boxing.
This Saturday, the premier promotion returned to Chicago for the first time since 2019 with UFC 319, headlined by a blockbuster middleweight title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.
Although Chimaev was the favorite heading into the fight, his performance came as quite the surprise as he utterly dominated Du Plessis for five rounds to become the new champion.
‘Borz’ was praised for his performance by both Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev, as he became the first Chechen fighter in UFC history to win a title.
Ryan Garcia criticizes UFC 319 event
Before the main event, Carlos Prates and Lerone Murphy scored back-to-back spinning elbow knockouts, both being Knockout of the Year contenders.
However, despite the blockbuster action on the main card, the event was criticized by world champion boxer Ryan Garcia.
Following the event, likely watching the main event back, Garcia said: “UFC lowkey boring, at least this fight.”
Chimaev received some criticism for his performance as for the majority of the fight, he controlled Du Plessis on the ground without attempting to finish it.
Despite that, the Chechen threw over 560 total strikes, and controlled for over 20 minutes, putting on a completely dominant display.
“That was a masterclass. Now it’s up to the division to work out how to beat him. In isolation you may find it boring, martial arts always finds a way which is why it’s a chess match,” one fan reacted.
“Bro boxing is boring. It’s a clench fist with no consequences,” another fan said.
“100% of the roster would maul you,” a third fan commented.
“Brother, there were two first round knockouts from spinning elbows, how is that boring,” another fan defended the event.
World champion boxer sends a message to Khamzat Chimaev
Although Garcia was full of criticism for the event, fellow world champion boxer Artur Beterbiev was more positive about the fight.
Following the event, the Russian sent his compatriot, Chimaev, a message, congratulating him on becoming the first fighter from Chechnya to win a UFC title.
