Getty Khamzat Chimaev celebrates after his TKO victory over Rhys McKee.
UFC superstar Khamzat Chimaev responded to the accusations that he faked a glove touch at UFC 279.
Following his incredible win over Kevin Holland, some fans criticized Chimaev for faking a touch of gloves at the start of the fight. Chimaev had already touched gloves with Holland at the beginning when referee Herb Dean brought the two in the middle of the octagon.
But, users claimed that Chimaev pretended to touch gloves with Holland once again and took advantage of the situation by going for a takedown when Holland got distracted. Holland did not mention the controversy and seemed not to share the same belief.
During the post-fight press conference, Chimaev looked confused when he got asked about the incident and responded to the accusations.
“What?” Chimaev said. “I don’t understand, how are we going to see? I want to take off his head, I’m going to watch his hands? I was watching his head. I don’t know, always people find some funny things to say. They want to go back, we’ll go back and do it over again.”
Chimaev Offered Holland To Train Together
The rising welterweight prospect took on longtime rival Holland after his scheduled headlining booking with Nate Diaz fell through. Chimaev missed the welterweight limit by a huge seven-and-a-half pounds and got paired with Holland for a catchweight contest at 180 pounds in the new co-main event.
Chimaev got off to a fiery start tight, shooting for a takedown at the opening bell. Although Holland, a renowned striker, did well to scramble and keep the grappling going, Chimaev racked up another impressive first-round finish by brabo choke submission. “Borz” earned his fourth UFC fight where he did not absorb a single significant strike.
They put their differences aside after sharing a heated rivalry, with the Chechen-born Swede extending a helping hand for “Trailblazer.”
“The guy is actually a nice guy, so I like him,” Chimaev added. “Sometimes we don’t like each other before the fights, it’s normal, we’re coming from the war to kill each other. Now that the war is over, he can come to our gym and be one of us.
“I said to Holland as well, he’s a young guy, I’m a young guy, maybe we’ll meet again. Otherwise, he can come down to Sweden and I’ll help him.”
Chimaev Has Embraced the Villain Persona
Going into the contest as a fan favorite, Chimaev quickly turned into one of the most unlikable personalities for the fans. He flipped off his middle fingers after missing weight and played up the heel, countering the loud boos of the audience.
It appears that he has fit into his new role and even found some added benefits to it.
“You care about that sh*t?” Chimaev told Heavy and other media members (transcribed by Aaron Bronsteter of TSN Sports). “I don’t care. I care about my family, I care about my family, I care about my career, I care about my money… One day they’re with me, one day they’re not with me.”
“Watch the weigh in on Instagram, look at who has the most views. Look at how many views I have and Diaz have and you’ll see who’s more of a star. People can say they don’t want to watch me fight, they’re liars. Everyone want to watch my fights, everyone wants to see a killer. Not that smoking sh*t and drug dealers here. I’m a professional athlete here.”