It may have taken Khamzat Chimaev over five years to fight and ultimately become a UFC champion, but his star power was recognized long before there was a belt around his waist.
Chimaev, who burst on the scene during the global pandemic, became famous almost immediately when he recorded a submission victory in his debut and asked the UFC to book him again soon. Chimaev fought ten days later, knocked out this time, then went up to middleweight and did the same when he fought just two months after his debut.
UFC CEO Dana White quickly realised there was something very special about Chimaev, and his advantage to the top hit some roadblocks – injuries, illness and visa troubles, but he finally made his full potential to become an intermediate champion with a beatdown biased towards Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319.
“The night we were on Fight Island, he said, ‘I want to fight next Saturday.’ Since then, this guy has been a rocket ship and is clearly very popular,” White said of Chimeh at a postwar press conference. “People love him. They fought back here in America and apparently Chicago loved him too.”
Chimaev’s incredible performance wasn’t much different to what he did with many of his past enemies, but it was even White who was surprised that Duplesis was so thoroughly manipulated.
Before Saturday night, White believed that the UFC 319 main event would provide for a war before and after. The results were other than that.
“No, I thought the lead-up to this fight was the main event being a night fight,” White said. “I didn’t see it coming, but I’m not shocked. You go in and dominate the way he ruled. If you can do it in the first round, you’ll probably do it through the second and the rest of the fight.”
White praised Duplesis, especially for showing incredible heart and durability, especially after he was repeatedly thrown onto the ground with his muscularity around the octagon for most of the 25 minutes.
Such a performance could destroy most fighters, but Duplesis never gave up, and he was still trying to change his fortune all the time until the last horn rang.
“First of all, I did all rounds 10-8 (for Chimaev), except for the last round,” White said. “Being in that position (Dricus) was on a cross, controlled by the ground, punched in the face and elbows. It’s a very frustrating place.
There was a moment when Chimaev was trapped in Duplesis without the escapism that seemed to appear that judge Mark Goddard might stop his actions.
Ultimately, Duplesis defended enough to prevent the end, even in his worst position, but White knows that the now former champion took his chunk.
While Duplesis is still alive, White knows that Chimeh is doing everything he can to punish him and end the fight before the fifth round expires.
“I don’t want to know how difficult they are because I don’t know how difficult a listen (punch) is,” White joked. “No one wants to fall into a cross that is punched into such a head. It must be the most frustrating (position).
“Yeah, I’m not saying he’s striking the Pitter putter. His face was pretty arrested. The knees he had on his body, legs and hips would be a long ride into South Africa.”