The South African titleholder continues to deliver more dominant performances and eliminate room for questioning his standing as the best middleweight in the world with each successive outing. He earned his second successful title defense earlier this year by thoroughly outworking former champ Sean Strickland in a rematch of their UFC 297 encounter, which extended Du Plessis’ record to 9-0 in the UFC and 23-2 overall. Five years after exploding onto the scene with three wins in two months, Chimaev finally lands in his first championship fight, aiming to maintain his unblemished record while proving he’s every bit the unstoppable force many have long believed him to be. The now 31-year-old standout secured this opportunity with a first-round submission win over Robert Whittaker last October that was closer to a mugging than a competitive matchup, and silenced any questions about his health or his ability to hang with the very best in the world.

This is an absolutely fascinating matchup because despite all their successes, there are questions that remain on both sides and cases to be made in favor of each man. More than any fight either has engaged in to this point, Saturday’s main event is going to be the proving ground for both Du Plessis and Chimaev, and have an unquestionable impact on how we look at each in the present and going forward. Lerone Murphy puts his undefeated record on the line as he welcomes Aaron Pico to the Octagon for the first time in this outstanding featherweight fixture.  There are a lot of similarities between Murphy and fellow Brit Leon Edwards, who steadily worked his way to the top of the welterweight division as, like the former welterweight ruler, the 34-year-old Manchester man is on an outstanding run of success without much fanfare, and is without question a better fighter than most understand or give him credit for being. Over his last three fights, “The Miracle” has earned quality wins over Edson Barboza, Dan Ige, and Josh Emmett to cement his standing as a contender, and vanquishing Pico would certainly strengthen his case for a championship opportunity early next year.

Following a breakout rookie campaign where he went 4-0 with four finishes to force his way into the rankings, Prates suffered his first loss in a dozen fights last time out, dropping a decision to Machado Garry in a fight where the Irish standout was strategic for the majority ofthe contest before getting in a little trouble late. If the Fighting Nerds’ core four — Caio Borralho, Jean Silva, Mauricio Ruffy, and Prates — were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Prates would be Raphael, the somewhat volatile, ever-dangerous member of the group, which is what makes him a constant threat, captivating to watch, and susceptible to missteps like the one he experienced in Kansas City against Machado Garry. It’s highly likely that these two wade into the center, touch gloves, and start throwing fastballs at one another straight away, stopping only when the horn sounds signaling the end of the round or one of them is left staring up at the lights. Buckle up and enjoy because this one is sure to be electric.

Middleweight has been having a moment here, and before the title goes up for grabs, Jared Cannonier and Michael Page will stand opposite one another with a place in the Top 10 hanging in the balance. A Top 10 mainstay since he debuted in the division towards the end of 2018, Cannonier halted a two-fight slide earlier this year by rallying to finish Gregory Rodrigues. Now 26 fights into his career and at “Level 41,” the MMA Lab product is the perfect top-end measuring stick in a weight class that has been undergoing some changes over the last two years, as the only people to best him at middleweight remain former champs Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya, and upcoming Paris headliners Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho, who could very well be fighting to determine who faces Saturday’s title fight winner.

This one is all going to come down to how Cannonier opts to approach things, as it feels like there is a clear blueprint for how to neutralize Page. Typically, “The Killa Gorilla” isn’t someone that looks to wrestle all that much, so we should get plenty of striking exchanges in space, where it will be Cannonier’s power against Page’s speed and variety.  A dangerous submission ace with heaps of experience and a 100-percent finishing rate inside the Octagon, Meerschaert arrives in Chicago having suffered consecutive losses to Reinier de Ridder and Brad Tavares. Oleksiejczuk snapped a three-fight slide back in April, venturing to Sao Paulo to train with former opponent Caio Borralho and the Fighting Nerds before storming through Sedriques Dumas in Miami.