"There was an unwritten code of samurais and warriors" - Michael Bisping reacts to Khamzat Chimaev's alleged fake glove touch against Kevin Holland at UFC 279
Michael Bisping gave his reaction to Khamzat Chimaev ignoring an offered touch of gloves from Kevin Holland and shooting for a takedown at UFC 279.
During a recent edition of the Believe You Me podcast, 'The Count' weighed in on Chimaev's behavior and suggested that the Chechen-born Swedish star shouldn't have ignored the glove touch to honor the unwritten code rule of ethics in battles.
However, Bisping believes that 'Borz' would've secured the takedown regardless:
"There was an unwritten code of samurais and warriors dating back to dark ages. When you engage in hand-to-hand combat, there's a certain dignity involved, don't you know? But it's kind of like an unwritten rule, someone walks out and puts their hand up. You can say, 'No.' You can do whatever you want because he wasn't breaking any rules. The reality is, hand up or hand down, he would've gotten the takedown anyway."
Watch the full podcast episode below:
Khamzat Chimaev was asked at the UFC 279 post-fight press conference if he was aware of Holland wanting to touch gloves before he went for the takedown.
The 28-year-old responded that he was focused on his opponent's head, rather than his hands. Chimaev also stated that he would be open to a rematch with 'Trailblazer' down the line.
Khamzat Chimaev insists he could've made 170lbs at UFC 279
Khamzat Chimaev missed weight by 7.5 pounds for his originally scheduled UFC 279 main event bout against Nate Diaz. This resulted in major changes to the pay-per-view card.
The UFC reshuffled the matchups and booked Chimaev in a catchweight co-main event bout against Kevin Holland, which 'Borz' won with ease.
Chimaev has consistently stated that he was confident about making weight for the fight against Diaz. However, his coach Andreas Michael explained during an interview on The MMA Hour how unwell Chimaev was while trying to cut down.
''He [Chimaev] was getting muscle spasms, shaking, vomiting, when he stood up, he was passing out. I was worried about him.''
During the interview, Andreas Michael also discussed future plans for Chimaev and insisted that he sees 'Borz' competing in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions. However, he wants Chimaev to pursue some "worthwhile" fights at 185 pounds before going back to fighting at 170 pounds.
Catch Andreas Michael's interview on The MMA Hour below: