🏆 Championship Chaos

We're SPLIT on the Title Fight!

Author

Andy S
August 16, 2025

Table of Contents

What's up, fight freaks! Welcome back to Rumble Picks, for the co-main, and main event!! UFC 319 is hitting Chicago with more heat than a perfectly timed hadoken, and we've got the heavyweight bouts that'll determine who walks away with bragging rights this weekend. The co-main and main event are locked and loaded with championship implications and serious bad blood. Time to see who's got the better game plan - let's get ready to RUMBLE with our championship round breakdowns!

LERONE MURPHY vs AARON PICO (Featherweight)

RYAN: Here we go, Andy! This is where I get to flex my underdog muscles - Pico at +158 making his UFC debut against the undefeated Murphy feels like picking Dan in a tournament full of Ryus. Sometimes the new guy has that unknown factor!

ANDY: (shaking head while reviewing records) Ryan, you're letting nostalgia cloud your judgment again! Murphy is 8-0 in the UFC and hasn't lost since 2018. Pico's been great in Bellator, but this is the big leagues now - completely different level of competition.

RYAN: But that's exactly why I love this spot! Pico's got that hungry debutant energy, like when you first discover the dragon punch. He's been starching people in Bellator with first-round finishes - that power doesn't just disappear because he changed organizations.

ANDY: Murphy's been decision machine lately, which shows his veteran savvy and ability to control fights. Pico's coming in on short notice after his original fight fell through - that's never ideal preparation against someone this seasoned.

RYAN'S PICK: 🥊 Aaron Pico (+158) - "Debut magic strikes again!"
ANDY'S PICK: 📊 Lerone Murphy (-205) - "Experience trumps potential!"

🏆 DRICUS DU PLESSIS vs KHAMZAT CHIMAEV (Middleweight Title) 🏆

RYAN: This is it, Andy - the big one! And you know what? I'm riding with Du Plessis at +180. The champ's got that Blanka-like unpredictability that's frustrated everyone he's faced, and he's already proven he can handle the pressure twice!

ANDY: (analyzing takedown statistics) Are you serious right now? Chimaev is 14-0 with the most dominant wrestling we've seen in years! His grappling is like having unlimited special meter - Du Plessis has never faced anything close to this level of ground control.

RYAN: That's exactly why this works! Everyone's so focused on Chimaev's wrestling that they're forgetting Du Plessis is a finishing machine who thrives in chaos. The guy's awkward, hits hard, and has championship heart - that's the perfect storm against someone everyone expects to dominate.

ANDY: The numbers don't lie here - Chimaev averages twice as many takedowns per fight and his submission game is elite. Du Plessis relies on scrambles and athleticism, but Chimaev's the type of wrestler who eliminates those escape routes completely.

RYAN'S PICK: 🥊 Dricus Du Plessis (+180) - "Championship heart prevails!"
ANDY'S PICK: 📊 Khamzat Chimaev (-220) - "Wrestling dominance takes the throne!"

That's a wrap on our championship round predictions, fight freaks! Two massive fights, two completely opposite takes - looks like Ryan and Andy are back to their classic Ryu vs Ken rivalry! We've got debut energy clashing with veteran experience in the co-main, and a title fight that's gonna settle whether wrestling dominance beats championship heart.

Saturday night in Chicago is gonna be ELECTRIC - will Pico shock the world in his UFC debut, or does Murphy's undefeated streak continue? And can Du Plessis pull off another championship miracle, or is Chimaev's wrestling game too much even for the unpredictable champ?

One thing's for certain - by Sunday morning, one of us is gonna be doing a victory lap while the other's eating humble pie! We'll be watching every second of the action, and you better believe we'll be back with full breakdowns of how it all went down.

Until the final bell rings, keep your combos sharp and your predictions sharper!

Let's see who's got the better fight IQ come fight night!

- Ryan & Andy

UFC 319 RUMBLE PICKS SUMMARY

MAIN CARD:

  • Carlos Prates (-265) vs Geoff Neal - BOTH PICK PRATES

  • Michael Page (-196) vs Jared Cannonier - BOTH PICK PAGE

  • Kai Asakura (-340) vs Tim Elliott - BOTH PICK ASAKURA

  • Lerone Murphy (-205) vs Aaron Pico (+158) - SPLIT DECISION!

    • Ryan: Aaron Pico (+158) 🥊

    • Andy: Lerone Murphy (-205) 📊

  • Khamzat Chimaev (-220) vs Dricus Du Plessis (+180) - SPLIT DECISION!

    • Ryan: Dricus Du Plessis (+180) 🥊

    • Andy: Khamzat Chimaev (-220) 📊

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Stay tuned for more Rumble Picks mayhem!

Your hosts, Ryan and Andy.