Khamzat Chimaev has hardly been the darling of the UFC this past week - and he continued to play the part of the villain after choking out Kevin Holland in the first round.
Chimaev was due to fight Nate Diaz in the main event at UFC 279 but weighed in 7.5lb over the welterweight limit, leaving the promotion to scramble to put together a revised fight card. Chimaev made light work of Holland, choking him out inside three minutes, while Diaz submitted Tony Ferguson in the fourth round of their short-notice bout.
And after his win, Chimaev grabbed the microphone from Joe Rogan to respond to the crowd's jeers. "Hey, so what now, say something. This is Chechnya motherf******. I'm the most dangerous guy here, I've got guns for everyone, I'll kill everybody." Rogan then attempted to steer the interview to Chimaev's weight cut, but the Swede ranted: "I dont care about that s***, I'd kill that guy, I'll go through everybody. Let them come down, I'll give it to both guys, I'll fight both of them."
Chimaev had been expected to fight for the welterweight title in his next fight but could now be forced to move to middleweight after his drama on the scales. But he insisted he could make the 170lb championship limit, and that he was forced to abandon his cut for his fight with Diaz.
"Of course i believe, I was supposed to make that weight as well but doctor stop me," he said. "Nobody can stop me; if I die, I die in the cage. I didn't come here and make my weight but i tried my best. I'll die in the cage, I'll never leave the cage, this is my home. [My weight] was lower, the doctor said I had to drink water and take some vitamins and they let me do that s***". I knew that night I wasn't going to fight that guy and they made my weight up, I wasn't that [heavy]."
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Chimaev was then asked about his performance after overwhelming Holland from the first bell, and he said: "We train every day like that. I've got my coach Alan Nascimento, the best grappler, the best teacher in the world. They make me that you know; I'm here for all the belts in the UFC, I'm the black belt here. I'm the best boxer, I'm MIke Tyson, I'm Muhammad Ali.
"I'm going for both weight classes, we'll take both belts. I kicked guys' asses in sparring and I broke guys in sparring. i want to say thank you mike, thank you Sweden thanks Chechnya, I love you guys. I know you're supporting me. There are a lot of guys talking s*** about me but I know you love me."
