The UFC 279 co-main event showed how good Khamzat Chimaev truly is. The Chechen-born fighter performed exceptionally and made quick work of Kevin Holland. But Joe Rogan had tough questions for the Swede in the post-fight Octagon interview.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
‘Borz’ took down Holland as soon as the bell rang. The Swede showcased a level of grappling that no one has seen inside the Octagon. While Holland tried to reverse the position with rolls, the Swedish fighter was always one step ahead of ‘Trailblazer‘.
Khamzat Chimaev eventually found a tight neck choke. Although Holland showed great resiliency and looked to survive the round while the crowd was chanting ‘USA’, the Swede had a good grip and even adjusted to Holland’s movement to secure it further.
Chimaev took the judges’ scorecard away as he finished the contest with a D’arce choke in the first round. Fans who initially booed ‘Borz’ were in awe of his performance.
UFC fans react to Khamzat Chimaev’s performance at UFC 279
The MMA world had all kinds of reactions to ‘The Wolf‘ roaring strong in the UFC 279 co-main event. Chimaev showed that the weight cut did not affect his performance as he made quick work of Holland, who was a few pounds heavier than him in this catchweight contest.
Chimaev getting booed heavily during his walkout. #UFC279
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) September 11, 2022
Damn Holland lasted a long time in that choke! I also think he hurt his shoulder on the roll in the last TD sequence
— Funky (@Benaskren) September 11, 2022
Scary #UFC279
— Anatomy of a Fighter (@WillHarrisAOAF) September 11, 2022
That was a speedrun.
— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) September 11, 2022
Can we make sure our boy Joe is protected. 😂#UFC279
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) September 11, 2022
Joe Rogan is menace 🤣🤣🤣#UFC279
— Chris Curtis The Action Man (@Actionman513) September 11, 2022
GET HIM, JOE!!
— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) September 11, 2022
joe rogan 'why you missed weight?'
khamzat 'i don't give a fuck about that'#UFC279— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) September 11, 2022
Chimaev cheap af
— Theo Von (@TheoVon) September 11, 2022
After the contest, Joe Rogan asked Chimaev about the weight miss for the originally scheduled contest against Nate Diaz. The welterweight & middleweight fighter replied the doctors stopped him from further weight cutting and claimed he could have made the contractual weight limit.
Khamzat Chimaev is as real as it gets
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
After the tough win against Gilbert Burns in the welterweight division and the entire weight saga ahead of the event, there were doubts about the Swede losing his focus after getting to the top of the division. However, the Russian-born athlete shut all of that down with a resounding performance.
All the gym tales from fighters seem real and the wrestling looks a major difference between Khamzat Chimaev and his peers. Whether he could make 170 lbs again would be a question that will always float around the Swede. That said, he looks skilled and big enough to handle business at 185 lbs as well.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
WATCH THIS STORY – What is Khamzat Chimaev’s Problem With Mike Tyson, Khabib, Conor McGregor, Dana White, Israel Adesanya
What did you make of the co-main event at UFC 279 between Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland? Share your views in the comments below.