"I know the fans got p*ssed at him for not making weight, but..." - Dana White admits he didn't expect Khamzat Chimaev to demolish Kevin Holland at UFC 279
UFC President Dana White has revealed that he was amazed by Khamzat Chimaev's dominant performance against Kevin Holland at UFC 279.
Chimaev was originally set to face Nate Diaz and headline his first UFC pay-per-view event earlier this month. The entire card was then thrown into jeopardy after 'Borz' missed weight by a staggering 7.5 lbs. A last-minute reshuffle of the card resulted in the Chechen-born Swede receiving a change in opponent and facing off against 'Trailblazer' in a catchweight bout instead.
Most fans, perhaps Holland himself, were aware of the major mismatch between the two fighters and it showed after Chimaev took the American down mere seconds into the fight. In a performance where he didn't absorb a single strike yet again, the 28-year-old submitted Holland inside the first round to extend his undefeated record to 12-0.
Chimaev vs. Holland Full Fight https://t.co/n5WkAiUTL5
Dana White recently appeared on The Action Junkeez podcast and gave his reaction to the fight. The UFC president revealed that he was shocked by Chimaev's performance and was glad he didn't see Nate Diaz fight him:
"After you watch the fight, you realize Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz would have been - That wouldn't have been good. I know the fans got p*ssed at him for not making weight and everything else, but Jesus f*****g Christ. What he went out and did to Kevin Holland... If you expected Khamzat Chimaev to destroy Holland like he did, you're lying, there's just no way."
Check out the clip here:
Michael Bisping believes Khamzat Chimaev is the UFC's biggest villain, taking the reins from Conor McGregor
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping has made a bold claim in regards to Khamzat Chimaev and his "bad guy" persona in the octagon. The former UFC middleweight champion has stated that following in the footsteps of himself and Conor McGregor, 'Borz' is well on his way to taking their spots as the biggest villain in the organization.
https://t.co/lSHuIsXLIi
The Chechen-born Swede laughed off his staggering weight miss at UFC 279, flipping off the crowd at the ceremonial weigh-ins and during his post-fight octagon interview. The 28-year-old even took the microphone from Joe Rogan and shouted that he "didn't care" that he missed weight and wanted to "kill everybody."
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'The Count' had his say on the controversial Chimaev:
"The bad guy. He's the biggest bad guy in the whole of the UFC right now. There's been a lot of bad guys along the way... Conor McGregor certainly fits that bill. I was a bit of a bad guy for a while, but right now Khamzat Chimaev, the way he flipped everyone off, the boos that he got, but the numbers that he pulls, people are intrigued by this guy."
Catch the full video here: