It took all of seventeen seconds and essentially just one punch for Khamzat Chimaev to make his statement Saturday. In what had become a bit of a grudge match with Gerald Meerschaert, a single right hand from the surging prospect turned out the lights.
A walk-off KO against the veteran proved that Chimaev is more than just a Khabib-style grappler. Which, when you think about it, is a rather scary notion. Khabib with hands? Yikes.
As a result, it was not at all surprising to find Chimaev among the bonus winners at UFC Vegas 11. As usual, there were four, but with no Fight of the Night awarded, it all came down to individual efforts.
Mackenzie Dern was another of those winners, after pulling off a slick and painful arm-bar in the opening round of her strawweight bout against Randa Markos. For Dern, it was her second straight win via submission, which should come as no surprise given her BJJ credentials. What did come as a surprise was Markos willingly going to the ground with her.
The returning Damon Jackson also picked up a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his third-round guillotine submission of Mirsad Bektic. It was quite the homecoming, as Jackson’s last bout inside the octagon had been in 2016. After time outside the promotion, he stepped up on three days notice to take the fight.
New England’s Randy Costa, meanwhile, may have had the most impressive finish of the bunch. After 11 months on the sidelines thanks in part to the coronavirus pandemic, Costa returned at UFC Vegas 11 to score a head kick knockout of Journey Newson. It was Costa’s second straight win in the promotion.
