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.
"He's going to go for a D'Arce or something now," Adesanya can be seen saying while watching the fight in a video on his YouTube channel FreeStyleBender, seconds before Chimaev does just that. "I knew it. Interesting."
As he watches Chimaev deepen the choke and Holland attempts to defend it, Adesanya's pal notes that the exchange is impressive. Adesanya responds "very, for him to defend that long and for him to hold that long, but he's about to tap."
When Chimaev ultimately earns the submission, the middleweight champion admits "that was good". After watching Diaz defeat Tony Ferguson, he offers a further analysis of Chimaev's win, which brings the Swede to 12-0, saying: "Shout out to Kevin, 'Big Mouth', good s***.
"He gave a good account of himself, scrambling, sticking to the position but Khamzat was just a step ahead or two steps ahead. But he missed weight so he's a b**** for that... Overall a great card - so much beef on this card that it needed barbecue sauce."
What do you think Khamzat Chimaev should do next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Chimaev was already a top contender at welterweight, but would have to sit out the majority of the year or risk his status at the top of the division as he awaits the trilogy between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. The Brit's shock win last month to become champion has caused a ripple affect, and if the UFC insist on doing a UK stadium show the rematch may not happen until next summer.
However, Adesanya has remained incredibly active as middleweight champion, and will likely be ready to go again early next year assuming he can get past Pereira. He lost both of their kick-boxing meetings, dropping a decision before being brutally knocked out, but has never lost at middleweight in MMA, with his sole career loss coming in a grappling-heavy light-heavyweight title effort.
Chimaev's weight miss cost him the respect of a number of fans, but his victory over Holland was undeniably respectable, particularly given the short notice of the fight. It remains to be seen if he will make an effort to get back down to welterweight, or if he'll return to middleweight where he started his UFC career.
