Israel Adesanya predicted Khamzat Chimaev would choke out Kevin Holland with a D'Arce on Saturday night at UFC 279, which he did seconds later.
The middleweight champion was a keen observer as Chimaev faced Holland in an hastily arranged grudge fight after missing weight by a whopping 7.5lb for the main event against Nate Diaz. Both men have jumped around from middleweight to welterweight, and a win was likely to put either one in contention for the 185lb belt.
Adesanya is currently preparing for a title defence against his former kick-boxing rival Alex Pereira in a trilogy of sorts at Madison Square Garden in November, but keeps an eye on most UFC fights. And he was confident that Chimaev would win against Holland, who is known for having suspect grappling that hinders his brilliant striking.
