(Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)

CHICAGO -- UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis will battle his opponent as well as what figures to be a hostile crowd when he defends his title against Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319 at the United Center on Saturday.

At the pre-match promotion on Thursday, du Plessis was faced with a gathering of mostly Chimaev supporters. The 31-year-old South African champion will be fighting on U.S. soil for the first time since 2023, a year after his 31-year-old Russian challenger last competed in the United States.

du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC), the +200 underdog by BetMGM against the undefeated Chimaev (14-0, 8-0), kept a rather calm demeanor on Thursday and did his best to drown out the boos, even though it wasn't an easy task.

UFC is returning to Chicago for the first time since June 2019 and this will be the third middleweight title fight hosted in Illinois since 2008.

du Plessis is making his third title defense since becoming the champ by defeating Sean Strickland on a split decision in January 2024. He subsequently won by submission over Israel Adesanya in UFC 305 last August, then beat Strickland again by decision in February at UFC 312.

'I think it's the fact that I want to go out there and fight the best,' du Plessis said. 'Remember when you're cheering Saturday night.'

Although Chimaev kept his composure while letting the crowd express itself on his behalf, he did offer one bold prediction for fight night.

'Africa never gonna see the belt again. Sorry guys,' Chimaev said.

Chimaev opened as the -190 favorite but has seen those odds shorten significant to -250 with the public backing him with 77 percent of the money wagered on the winner. du Plessis, meanwhile, has drawn 65 percent of the total bets since opening at +155.

The book reported that 53 percent of all bets and 51 percent of all the money wagered on the UFC 319 card have been placed on this fight. The most-bet prop has been du Plessis to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification at +525. The second-most popular? A Chimaev win by submission at +125.

The middleweight bout headlines a 13-fight card, with the ESPN+ pay-per-view portion beginning at 10 p.m. ET.

OTHER MAIN CARD FIGHTS

Lerone Murphy (16-0-1, 8-0-1) vs. Aaron Pico (13-4, 0-0), featherweight

Murphy has yet to lose in the UFC, but still finds himself as the underdog to an opponent making his promotion debut. Murphy, 34, has beaten Edson Barboza, Dan Ige and Josh Emmett in his last three times in the Octagon. Pico, 28, has won nine of his past 10 fights, with the lone loss coming due to injury.

Murphy has the veteran guile while Pico has the clear edge in power to go with excellent wrestling skills. Pico has drawn 62 percent of the money as the -170 favorite at BetMGM, while Murphy has been backed by 58 percent of the bets at +140.

Geoff Neal (16-6, 8-4) vs. Carlos Prates (21-7, 4-1), welterweight

This is a fight that was originally scheduled to take place at UFC 314 in Miami. Neal, 34, is coming off a knee injury suffered in a fight against Rafael Dos Anjos last October and is a veteran welterweight contender. Meanwhile, Prates is coming off a decision loss to Machado Garry that broke an 11-fight win streak.

Prates has drawn 86 percent of the money and 56 percent of the bets as the -235 favorite to beat Neal, who has shifted from +225 to +190.

Jared Cannonier (18-8, 11-8) vs. Michael Page (23-3, 2-1), middleweight

The winner of this fight could be in line to face the winner of Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho in Paris. Cannonier snapped a two-fight skid with a finish of Gregory Rodrigues earlier this year, while the 38-year-old Page handed Shara Magomedov his first middleweight loss in his most recent fight.

Page opened at -190 and is now -210 with the public backing him with 65 percent of the fight money. Cannonier (+170) has been supported by 63 percent of the total bets.

Tim Elliott (20-13-1, 10-13) vs. Kai Asakura (21-5, 0-1), flyweight

A pair of former title challengers take to the Octagon to begin the main card. Elliott is 7-6 over his past 13 fights, but this is his first since December 2023. Asakura moved from RIZIN to the UFC, only to be submitted by Alexandre Pantoja in the second round last December.

Asakura has held steady as the biggest favorite on the main card, drawing 54 percent of the money at -325. Elliott has been backed by 54 percent of the bets at +260.

--Field Level Media