UFC 279 event was co-headlined by a 180lbs catchweight matchup between Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland.
Khamzat Chimaev did not absorb a single significant strike in the fight. Despite his spectacular performance, ‘Borz’ did not receive a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus.
Chimaev (12-0 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since defeating Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision at UFC 273. ‘The Wolf’ was sporting a perfect Octagon record of 5-0 with four finishes ahead of tonight’s affair.
Meanwhile, Kevin Holland (23-8 MMA) had entered tonight’s co-headliner on a two-fight winning streak, his latest being a submission victory over Tim Means back in June. ‘Trailblazer’ had gone 2-2 with 1 no-contest over his previous five Octagon appearances overall.
UFC 279 co-main event resulted in another dominant performance for Khamzat Chimaev. ‘Borz’ was able to get the fight to the ground early and immediately began working for submissions. After some scrambles and transitions, ‘The Wolf’ sunk in a fight-ending choke.
Official UFC 279 Result: Khamzat Chimaev def. Kevin Holland via submission in Round 1
Check out how the reaction of professional fighters ‘Chimaev vs. Holland’ below:
Reaction of professional fighters after Khamzat Chimaev submits Kevin Holland at UFC 279
Khamzat Chimaev says he offered to give up his purse in order to fight Nate Diaz
After his dominant victory, Khamzat Chimaev had a chat with Megan Olivi backstage. ‘Borz’ claimed that he offered to give his entire fight purse to Nate Diaz so that the fight could happen, but in the end, the matchup didn’t materialize.
“I could make that weight, the doctor stopped that. So yeah, what I could do now? I was waiting what UFC said to me. I said I want to fight so I gave all my money to that guy. This was almost two million… So I said give all my money to that guy, let him fight. If he is that gangster, he shoud fight for money. But he didn’t want to fight me, you know? So, who’s the gangster now?”
Diaz ended up fighting Tony Ferguson and defeated him via submission in the fourth round of the UFC 279 main event.
Meanwhile, after his dominant win over Kevin Holland, it remains to be seen whether the UFC will put Khamzat Chimaev in another welterweight bout. While he has reiterated that he is gunning for the 170-pound title, his egregious weight miss and behavior this past week could impact proceedings.
Watch Chimaev’s interview with Megan Olivi below: