Khamzat Chimaev's win against Kevin Holland at UFC 279 marked the second time 'Borz' used the D'Arce choke to submit his opponent in the UFC. Chimaev also managed to lock in a D'Arce choke in his UFC debut against John Phillips back in 2020.
The first fighter 'Borz' managed to catch in a D'Arce choke, John Phillips, managed to make it to the second round, the bout took place at UFC Fight Island 1.
'Borz' has quickly established himself as a top contender in the UFC. The undefeated Chechen has also only gone past the second round twice since his organizational debut. Four out of Chimaev's six UFC bouts have ended in the opening round, with only Gilbert Burns managing to take the Russian-born fighter to the judges' scorecards.
Watch Khamzat Chimaev's submission win against Kevin Holland here:
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Chimaev won via rear-naked choke against Li Jingliang, with the UFC 267 bout once again ending in the very first round.
Khamzat Chimaev was meant to face Nate Diaz at UFC 279, but the Sweden-based fighter missed weight and was moved to the co-main event. Diaz ended up fighting Tony Ferguson and won in the fourth round via submission. Any chance of Diaz facing Chimaev in the future is gone, with the American's scrap against 'El Cucuy' ending his contractual obligations with the UFC.
Watch Nate Diaz's octagon interview below:
What did Dana White say about Khamzat Chimaev missing weight at UFC 279?
UFC president Dana White was bombarded with questions surrounding Khamzat Chimaev's failed weight cut after UFC 279. White even suggested that 'Borz' should move up in weight division given his struggles.
While speaking to the media after UFC 279, Dana White stated:
"Yeah, it’s a problem, it’s a problem that he missed weight. We have to look at it and figure it out, but what makes sense is for him to fight at 185lbs. So we’ll see."
Watch Dana White speak about Chimaev here:
'Borz' fought Kevin Holland at a catchweight of 180lbs at UFC 279. He competes at both welterweight and middleweight divisions.