UFC Welterweight Khamzat Chimaev showed up to his UFC 273 post-fight press conference with a purple belt sported around his neck.
The belt ranking was earned after defeating former BJJ world champion and #2-ranked UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns by Unanimous Decision on Saturday night. Chimaev took on a huge increase in opponent difficulty, as he broke into the division’s top 5. After an epic brawl, the fight is sure to be a contender for 2022’s Fight of the Year.
After spending just about a year as a blue belt, Chimaev received the honor from BJJ coach Alan “Finfou” Nascimento. While Chimaev only started training BJJ just a few years ago, his grappling credentials and experience is 2nd to none, and he is a 3-time Swedish national wrestling champion.
Chimaev had previously reported that he would receive his purple belt if he were to submit Burns. However, after the brawl that they shared, leaving it all on the canvas, Nascimento must have felt that his pupil was definitely deserving.
While the fighters spent most of the match on their feet, Khamzat was officially credited with 3 successful takedowns, while effectively defending all 5 of Burns’ attempts. Chimaev amassed 2:23 of ground control time, compared to Burns’ 0:06. He was also credited with the only official knockdown in the fight.
Khamzat reacted to the promotion with an instagram post,
The replay of their match can be streamed on ESPN+.
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