Six years ago at UFC on ESPN 13, Khamzat Chimaev made his UFC debut against John Phillips and delivered an immediate statement. Chimaev dominated with takedowns and completely controlled the fight, finishing with a darce choke while outstriking his opponent by a remarkable 124 to 2 in total strikes.
Six years ago, on this date in 2020, Khamzat Chimaev announced himself to the UFC world in emphatic fashion at UFC on ESPN 13, submitting John Phillips via darce choke in what became one of the most eye-catching promotional debuts in recent memory.
Chimaev, now 32 and ranked first in the middleweight division as well as tenth pound-for-pound, was virtually unknown at the time. The UAE-based fighter out of Allstars Training Center, born in Chechnya, wasted no time demonstrating the suffocating grappling style that would define his rise. Standing six-foot-two with a 75-inch reach, he has since compiled a 15-1 record and built a reputation on elite takedown volume — averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes — combined with striking accuracy of 60 percent and a landing rate of 4.04 significant strikes per minute.
Phillips, known as "The Welsh Wrecking Machine," came in as a seasoned veteran. The southpaw from Wales, now 41 with a 22-11 record, had years of professional experience behind him. But nothing in that experience prepared him for the level of control Chimaev imposed that night. The striking disparity told the full story: Chimaev outlanded Phillips by a staggering 124 strikes to just 2 over the course of the bout.
Why it matters
- The debut foreshadowed the grappling-heavy, high-volume style Chimaev now deploys as the top-ranked middleweight in the world.
- A 124-to-2 striking differential in a debut remains one of the most lopsided performances in modern UFC history.
- The win signaled a new kind of complete fighter entering the division, blending wrestling dominance with sharp striking accuracy.
- Chimaev has since reached the pound-for-pound top ten, making this debut a significant landmark in tracking his ascent.
