What started as a wrestling match between Khamzat Chimaev and Dillon Danis at RAF 10 quickly spiralled out of control, and the aftermath is still making headlines.
Chimaev wasted no time in the bout, taking Danis down almost instantly and earning a swift pinfall victory. But the real drama unfolded after the whistle, when the American fighter refused to let go of Chimaev’s leg. The Chechen star responded with a kick, and things escalated from there.
Both teams stormed the mat, security struggled to get a handle on the chaos, and for a moment, it looked more like a street fight, something which was not ruled out by Chimaev.
Khamzat Chimaev calls Dillon Danis ‘stupid’ and issues challenge
Speaking to Red Corner MMA after the dust had settled, Chimaev did not mince his words.
“What should I think? Stupid guy doing stupid things,” he said. “He knows he wasn’t on my level in wrestling, so he felt that and then tried to submit me. If he did submit me, I’m never gonna train again.”
‘Borz’ went on to say: “He’s a weird guy, honestly. You know I try to hold myself, but this idiot doing stupid things… What should we do?”
He also claimed the chaos was not part of his plan: “No [I was not expecting that], I was thinking about winning the match. Then, I wanted to ask him ‘Let’s go, let’s dance outside.’ I asked him before like, ‘Do street fight. You don’t want it. You don’t want it.’
“He knew a lot of security was going to be there and that’s why he was doing that same stuff. Whenever he wants, just send me a message, a location, wherever you are, and I’m open.”
That line, “send me location”, will ring a bell for MMA fans. Khabib Nurmagomedov famously used it against Conor McGregor, who has long been linked to Danis as a friend and training partner.
Chimaev’s message was clear: he is still ready to settle things any time, any place.
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