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Following his contentious behavior and astonishing victory at UFC 279, Khamzat Chimaev is fast emerging as the organization's top villain according to UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping.
The legend Nate Diaz was initially scheduled to face Chimaev in the pay-per-main view event this past weekend. But when it came time to weigh in, "Borz" went on to the scale and registered a surprising 7.5 pounds over the limit. Additionally, the UFC 279 press conference was canceled due to a backstage altercation between Kevin Holland and Chimaev that occurred before the PPV.
Chaos resulted, and the fight card underwent a significant restructuring that saw the Swedish fighter of Chechen origin moved down to the co-main event position to meet Kevin Holland in a catchweight contest. The 28-year-old's attitude infuriated fans, but Chimaev Holland beef was later settled in the octagon.
Chimaev didn't seem to be sorry for any of the things he did throughout the weekend as he received boos from the crowd at the weigh-ins when he entered the ring, and during his post-fight interview. He was unfazed and was able to dash through Holland. Chimaev told the fans he "didn't care" that he failed weight during his post-fight interview.
Discussing the weekend's events and Khamzat Chimaev's performance on his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping stated that Khamzat was in dire need of the win after such a chaotic week.
“Chimaev needed that kind of performance,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “He caused the press conference to be canceled, he didn’t make weight, the entire card got a shakeup in terms of who they were fighting, and that was all down to Chimaev, right?
“And if you go out there and you lose, or you go out there and have a boring fight, or you just scrape by a decision, it’s not the best look – certainly considering what you caused. The hassle, the stress, the expense, all of that, but it doesn’t matter. That is eradicated because he went out there, and he destroyed Kevin Holland.”
Bisping who is not a stranger to being a heel, says he likes Chimaev's new look. When the crowd reacted angrily, the unbeaten welterweight was unashamed about his missing weight and was giving them the middle finger.
“The UFC officially has a new supervillain,” Bisping said. “I am, of course, talking about Khamzat Chimaev, ‘Borz,’ the ‘Wolf.’ Come on, when he walked out to that fight, the boos from the crowd were like nothing I’ve ever heard. I used to get booed a fair bit, as well, but that took the biscuit. That was mental.”
He continued, “He didn’t give a sh*t, and then he’s flipping off the crowd, then he’s talking sh*t, and he’s talking about killing people left, right, and center. Listen, I absolutely love it. It brings a lot of controversy, it brings eyeballs, and it’s very, very polarizing. … He’s a legit bad guy. He’s straight out of a Bond movie.”