Two former title challengers will go head-to-head at UFC 319.
UFC 319 in Chicago will play host to arguably the most-anticipated fight of the year, a five-round main event between reigning middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and undefeated monster Khamzat Chimaev on Aug. 16th.
Months away from the action, the pay-per-view event is slowly but surely being put together with top contenders colliding on the undercard.
UFC 319’s latest addition takes place in the ultra-exciting men’s flyweight division.
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Tim Elliott set to fight Kai Asakura after 500+ days away
Former UFC title challenger and winner of ‘The Ultimate Fighter 24’ Tim Elliott has been booked against former RIZIN bantamweight champion Kai Asakura at UFC 319. The flyweight matchup was first reported by RealKevinK.
Elliott hasn’t fought since a first-round submission win over Sumudaerji on Dec. 9, 2023, which was 17 months ago. Despite his inactivity, the American has kept his #11 spot in the UFC flyweight rankings.
The #15-ranked Asakura has yet to pick up his first UFC win since signing to the promotion last summer.
Asakura made his UFC debut against flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of UFC 310 in December.
Pantoja wasted no time in taking the former RIZIN champion to the ground and submitted Asakura with a rear-naked choke in the second round to defend his title.
Asakura, 31, looks to redeem himself in his second UFC fight against a grizzled veteran in Elliott, who is seven years his elder.
Tim Elliott went five rounds with Demetrious Johnson in the ‘TUF 24’ finale
Once let go by the UFC after three-straight losses in 2015, Elliott fought his way back to the Octagon by running one of the toughest gauntlets in ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ history.
Season 24 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ featured champions from around the world, including current champ Pantoja, Brandon Moreno, and Kai Kara-France, with the winner of the reality TV show going on to fight then-champion and flyweight ‘GOAT’ Demetrious Johnson in 2016.
In a matter of weeks, Elliott won four times on the show and secured his shot at ‘Mighty Mouse’ by defeating former RIZIN champion and Asakura’s former rival Hiromasa Ougikubo.
After winning the show, Elliott challenged Johnson for the flyweight title on Dec. 3, 2016, in what turned out to be an all-out war on the ground.
Elliott and Johnson grappled for five straight rounds with Elliott securing four takedowns on the champion and Johnson grabbing five takedowns with thirteen more minutes of control time.
Giving Johnson a run for his money, Elliott survived three submission attempts (with a smile on his face) to see the five-round distance. All three judges scored the contest for Johnson but Elliott was awarded one round on the scorecards.