In the co-main event of UFC 279, we saw a catchweight fight that had a ton of bad blood behind it. Top welterweight contenders Khamzat Chimaev (11-0) and Kevin Holland (23-7, 1 NC) battled it out after a crazy week.
Originally, Chimaev was supposed to face Nate Diaz and Holland was supposed to face Daniel Rodriguez. On Thursday, Chimaev and Holland got into it backstage which caused the UFC 279 pre-fight press conference to get cancelled.
Then, Chimaev came in massively overweight for the Diaz fight. With Chimaev’s weight miss, the UFC decided to change the whole card around. Ultimately, they ended up booking Chimaev against Holland in a five-round co-main event.
UFC 279 Recap
Round 1
The UFC 279 co-main event kicked off with a touch of the gloves. Chimaev shoots within seconds and Holland is working desperately hard to defend. Chimaev chaining multiple takedown attempts and finally gets Holland down to the ground.
Holland continues to work to scramble and he’s able to get back to his feet. Chimaev shoots again and Holland scrambles again. Chimaev gets Holland to the ground and he locks up a d’arce choke. It’s in deep and Holland is trying to fight it.
Holland is starting to wince and he’s forced to tap. Impressive performance from Khamzat Chiamev.
Khamzat Chimaev def. Kevin Holland by Submission (D’Arce Choke) – Round 1