At UFC 319, the middleweight gold is on the line in a blockbuster main event that is heading to Chicago.
From the moment that the headliner was announced, predictions have been split for Dricus du Plessis’s matchup with Khamzat Chimaev.
A belt might not be on the line, but there are also title implications for the two men involved in the featherweight co-main event, with Aaron Pico calling out Alexander Volkanovski ahead of his clash with Lerone Murphy.
The main card opener on August 16 features two men who have previously come up short when challenging for a UFC belt, with both of them receiving somewhat unique title shots in the flyweight title divisions.
- LATEST NEWS: Alexander Volkanovski says ex-title challenger who is UFC 319’s biggest favorite ‘could easily’ suffer shock loss
Tim Elliott earned a shot at Demetrious Johnson by winning The Ultimate Fighter in 2016
Following a three-fight losing streak in the UFC’s flyweight division, Tim Elliott was cut from the roster in 2015.
He then looked to rebuild some momentum in Titan FC, becoming the promotion’s inaugural flyweight champion and successfully defending the belt twice.
Winning this belt would end up being Elliott’s ticket back to the Octagon due to the promotion’s plan to try and shake up the 125-pound division.
The 24th season of The Ultimate Fighter saw the UFC bring together flyweight champions from various promotions for a tournament that carried huge stakes.
Whoever came out on top would be signed to the roster for an instant title shot against the man that many consider to be one of, if not the, greatest of all time, Demetrious Johnson.
Despite not being the favorite to win the tournament, Elliott ended up winning four fights in a row on the show, earning him a shot at ‘Mighty Mouse’ in December of 2016.
Unfortunately for Elliott, he was unable to keep this remarkable underdog comeback story going as he was beaten by Johnson via a unanimous decision.
- LATEST NEWS: Khamzat Chimaev’s undefeated teammate reportedly booked for UFC 319 debut four days after winning a contract
Tim Elliott’s UFC 319 opponent also received an instant flyweight title shot when he signed to the promotion
Tim Elliott’s rare UFC title shot does share some comparisons to the way that his next opponent was introduced to the fans.
With current flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja in need of new and exciting challengers, Kai Asakura was signed from Japanese promotion RIZIN and put straight into a title fight.
This huge opportunity didn’t end up working out for the Japanese star, who was submitted at UFC 310 last December, but he’ll now look to bounce back by securing his first win inside the Octagon.