Chimaev Submits Danis In Under A Minute, Brawl Breaks Out
Khamzat Chimaev got the win. Everything after it was chaos.
The former UFC middleweight champion made his Real American Freestyle debut against Dillon Danis on Saturday night and needed less than a minute to end it, scoring a takedown and pinning Danis' shoulders to the mat before the bout was waved off.
Danis refused to release Chimaev's leg after the pin. Chimaev kicked him in response. Both teams stormed the mats. RAF officials scrambled to separate everyone as the scene descended into the kind of post-bout mayhem that tends to overshadow whatever happened in the competition itself.
Chimaev's dominance in the bout itself was never in question. He is a gold medallist at the Swedish Nationals in wrestling and has spent his career using that base to control and finish opponents at the highest level of MMA. Danis, whatever his legitimate grappling credentials on the mat, was not equipped to handle that kind of wrestling in a live competitive setting, and the outcome reflected the gap between them.
The RAF appearance is Chimaev's first competitive action since dropping the UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland in a split decision at UFC 328 last month — a result that ended his first title defence and left him publicly calling for an immediate rematch. Whether the UFC accommodates that request remains unresolved, and the RAF debut was as much about staying active and visible while that situation develops as it was about the result against Danis.
Related Fighters & Stats
Get Ringside Updates
Fight announcements, results, and analysis delivered to your inbox. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.