One last big PPV? UFC 319’s press conference breaks 2025 live viewership record | Du Plessis vs. Chimaev

With UFC nearing an era without pay-per-views, fight fans only have a few high-profile events left before the MMA landscape gets turned upside down.

One of the biggest remaining PPV events of 2025 is UFC 319, which goes down tomorrow night (Sat., Aug. 16, 2025) LIVE on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside United Center in Chicago, Illinois. It will feature a main event matchup between UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and undefeated Chechen standout Khamzat Chimaev, and based on some recent

numbers it might be one of the biggest events of the year.

On Thursday, du Plessis joined Chimaev and a slew of other UFC fighters on stage for UFC 319’s pre-fight press conference. The Chicago fans proved to be a raucous crowd and the fighters certainly fed off the high energy. It was a great turnout and an entertaining press conference that ended with some fierce staredowns.

When the dust settled, UFC 319’s pre-fight press conference had the most live viewers out of any other UFC press conference this year with 110,000. That’s better than UFC 311, UFC 317, and UFC 314. It’s quite impressive. Check it out below:

Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev just had the most watched UFC press conference this year peaking at 110K live viewers 👀

UFC 311 – 98K viewers
UFC 317 – 97K viewers pic.twitter.com/xVvpstx6UL

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) August 15, 2025

While this is proof that fight fans are intrigued by the middleweight title fight between DDP and Chimaev, does it mean they’ll shell out the $80 it will cost to watch it live?

Let us know if you’ll be buying one of the last UFC PPV’s this weekend!

LIVE! Watch UFC 319 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE CAR CRASH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues its 2025 pay-per-view (PPV) schedule on Sat., Aug. 16, 2025, with a blockbuster title fight set to headline UFC 319 from inside United Center in Chicago, Illinois. In UFC 319’s PPV main event, Middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, defends his title against undefeated No. 3-ranked contender, Khamzat Chimaev, in a high-stakes, five-round battle of unbeaten UFC records. UFC 319’s PPV co-main event features a Featherweight showdown between Lerone Murphy and promotional newcomer, Aaron Pico, a high-profile free-agent signing stepping in on short notice. UFC 319 will also showcase a Welterweight clash between Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates, a Middleweight bout pitting Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page, a Flyweight matchup featuring Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura, and much more! UFC 319’s start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (“Early Prelims”), 8 p.m. ET (“Prelims” undercard), and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card)

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

Where to Buy:

• Check price at STREAM UFC 319

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For much more on this weekend’s UFC 319 PPV event click here.