Khamzat Chimaev finally lived up to his early promise on Saturday night, utterly dominating Dricus du Plessis to claim the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 319.

With fans and pundits expecting a period of dominance from the new middleweight champion, who – if anyone – can stop the Chimaev? And why might it be important that someone does?

Khamzat Chimaev burst onto the UFC scene in the summer of 2020, finishing his first three opponents in barely two months with thrashing performances. He continued to pile up gaudy numbers, and even after injuries, illnesses and other factors slowed his roll, he remained undefeated and eventually made it to a title fight at last Saturday's UFC 319.