UFC 319 prelim fights picks & predictions for Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev

The UFC is in Chicago, IL this week for UFC 319, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for every fight on the card’s prelims.

The event is headlined by a middleweight title bout between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev, and in the co-main event top-ranked featherweight contender welcomes former Bellator star Aaron Pico to the UFC.

The night's main card also includes Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates and Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page after Tim Elliott and Kai Asakura kick off the PPV action with their flyweight bout, and before that fans will be treated to an eight-fight preliminary card.

UFC 319 Preliminary Card Predictions

Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk

Sedriques Dumas (red gloves) fights against Michal Oleksiejczuk (blue gloves) during UFC 314 at Kaseya Center. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

There was a time not too long ago where this would have felt like a nightmare matchup for Oleksiejczuk. I do still have some concerns for him if the fight hits the ground, but I’m excited to see how “Hussar” has continued to develop his game since joining Brazil’s “Fighting Nerds” team.

(Pick: Oleksiejczuk)

Baysangur Susurkaev vs. Eric Nolan

Baysangur Susurkaev scored the only finish on Week 1 of Dana White's Contender Series. | (Zuffa LLC)

Nolan has a chance to really spoil the party that began with Susurkaev’s win on Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday, but the CFFC champion is walking into a tough spot against an extremely dangerous opponent.

(Pick: Susurkaev)

Jessica Andrade vs. Lupita Godinez

Jessica Andrade (red gloves) fights Marina Rodriguez (blue gloves) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It’s a little difficult to predict what you’ll get from Andrade at this stage of her career, but I’m glad to see her returning to strawweight and am picking the former champion to score a minor upset over Godinez.

(Pick: Andrade)

Alexander Hernandez vs. Chase Hooper

Jim Miller (red gloves) fights against Chase Hooper (blue gloves) during UFC 314 at Kaseya Center. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Hooper’s current winning run has been an impressive one, and as long as he doesn’t get caught during the early going I expect that he’ll be able to outwork Hernandez and potentially find a submission later in the fight.

(Pick: Hooper)

Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose

Joel Alvarez (red gloves) fights Drakkar Klose (blue gloves) at Amalie Arena. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Barboza returns to lightweight for the first time since 2019 on Saturday night. The Brazilian is always a threat to turn back the clock and land something big, but even though Klose is coming off a knockout-loss I think he’ll be able to avoid suffering that same fate against a 39-year-old version of Barboza.

(Pick: Klose)

Bryan Battle vs. Nursulton Ruziboev

Nursulton Ruziboev (red gloves) celebrates defeating Eric McConico (blue gloves) in a middleweight bout. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

I’m guilty of continually underrating Battle during his current four-fight win streak, but I think Ruziboev is capable of ending that momentum with what would be a third-straight victory for his best run since joining the UFC.

(Pick: Ruziboev)

UFC 319 Early Preliminary Card Predictions

Karine Silva vs. Diane Barbosa

Viviane Araujo (red gloves) fights Karine Silva (blue gloves) in a women’s flyweight bout during UFC 309. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

This fight could end up being a lot more fun that some fans may be expecting, and I’ll side with Silva to get back into the win column after having a lengthy win streak snapped by Viviane Araujo in her last outing.

(Pick: Silva)

Alibi Idiris vs. Joseph Morales

We’ll still see one The Ultimate Fighter Season 33 winner crowned on Saturday night following the unexpected cancellation of Rodrigo Sezinando vs. Daniil Donchenko, and I’m expecting Idiris to extend his undefeated record and possibly stifle Morales’ hopes of a second run in the UFC.

(Pick: Idiris)

MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC 319 all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage tomorrow for live results and highlights on fight night.

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