Khamzat Chimaev vs Kevin Holland after fight reaction at UFC 279

LAS VEGAS -- Khamzat Chimaev missed a major opportunity to take out one of the biggest stars in MMA history Saturday, but he picked up an easy victory at UFC 279.

Chimaev (12-0) submitted Kevin Holland (23-8) with a D'Arce choke at 2:13 of the opening round inside T-Mobile Arena. It was a dominant performance by Chimaev, but it came one day after he missed weight for a scheduled welterweight main event against Nate Diaz.

After Chimaev missed weight by 7.5 pounds, Diaz refused to fight him at a catchweight, which forced the UFC to shuffle the card and schedule Chimaev against Holland at 180 pounds.

He looked perfect inside the Octagon on Saturday, as he shot straight into a takedown in the fight's opening seconds and took Holland to the floor. Holland has a history of issues with takedown defense, but he came into this matchup on a two-fight win streak at welterweight. He was originally scheduled to face Daniel Rodriguez in a 180-pound catchweight. Rodriguez, of California, is primarily a striker, not a wrestler.