Khamzat Chimaev burst onto the UFC scene in the summer of 2020, finishing his first three opponents in just two months with dominant performances. Despite injuries, illnesses, and other factors that hindered his progress, Chimaev remained undefeated and eventually reached a title fight at UFC 319. Once again, Chimaev demonstrated his dominance, seizing the UFC middleweight championship against Dricus Du Plessis.
How impressive was his performance? Here are some outstanding numbers from one of the most uneven fights in UFC history:
- 529 strikes connected: Chimaev broke the record for most strikes connected in a UFC fight, previously held by Max Holloway, who landed 447 strikes in his 2021 bout.
- 37 to 13 in significant strikes: Although Chimaev connected 529 total strikes, only 37 were designated as significant.
- 1 significant strike: In the first round, Chimaev had a 131-3 advantage in total strikes, but was only credited with one significant strike.
- 12 takedowns: Chimaev executed the second-most takedowns in a UFC middleweight fight.
- 21 minutes and 40 seconds of control time: Chimaev controlled Du Plessis on the mat for 87% of the fight.
- 0 submission attempts: Despite being on top of Du Plessis for almost the entire fight, Chimaev was not credited with any submission attempts.
