Israel Adesanya reacts to Khamzat Chimaev’s win over Kevin Holland at UFC 279: “He missed weight, so he a b*tch for that”

Israel Adesanya had a harsh, yet brutally honest take regarding Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant win against Kevin Holland in the first round at UFC 279. Chimaev took care of business via a D’arce choke submission.

Adesanya, the current UFC middleweight champion, was not pleased with the welterweight contender’s actions during fight week, especially considering that Chimaev’s significant weight miss of 7.5 pounds caused the top half of the main card to get reshuffled entirely.

Quotes were transcribed by MMA News and were originally seen and heard during a recent upload to Adesanya’s YouTube channel. The middleweight champion’s next defense will take place in the main event of UFC 281 against Alex Pereira in November.

“Sh*t was crazy. Khamzat… Shout out to Kevin… Good sh*t,” Adesanya said. “He held a good account of himself; scrambling, sticking to the position,” Adesanya said. “But Khamzat was just a step ahead, two steps ahead even. But he missed weight, so he a b*tch for that.”

Adesanya shared the same sentiment as many other fighters about Chimaev’a recent behavior. So much so that Dana White had a private meeting with Chimaev after the win. Although details of the meeting weren’t disclosed, White expressed that he wasn’t sure what to do with Chimaev next, even though middleweight could seem more likely in the future.

Chimaev was originally scheduled to fight Nate Diaz before the weight miss and pre-press conference antics changed the entire complexion of the card and week itself.

As for Holland, the loss sees him go back to the drawing board and try to work his way back up the welterweight division. Holland previously fought at middleweight before making a permanent switch in 2022.

Is Israel Adesanya right? Should Khamzat Chimaev be held accountable for his actions prior to his fight with Kevin Holland? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, Penn Nation!