You can't help but wonder whether the new champion will be good for the sport.
Yes, he may the best middleweight mixed martial arts fighter in the world, and yes, he is now the champion, but just how good is this result for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)?
Undefeated Russian, Khamzat Chimaev, put on a wrestling masterclass when he completely dominated South Africa’s middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC319 in Chicago on Sunday.
As a fan of the sport, I am slightly worried about what impact this is going to have on a division synonymous with spectacular knockouts and bone-breaking submissions.
Yes, what Chimaev did on Sunday was effective, but as far as entertainment value goes, fans aren’t going to be queueing to watch two high-profile athletes lie on the ground for 25 minutes to determine who is the best in the world.
According to online sources, the cheapest ticket to watch that fight at the United Centre was $700 (over R12,000) and the most expensive was over $11,000 (over R193,000).
Even the pay-per-view tickets to watch the fight at home would have set you back $60 (over R1,000).
Now I would be extremely annoyed if I coughed up that sort of money to watch what unfolded on Sunday.
Fans must get what they pay for
Yes, there were other fights on the cards and, yes, they were a lot better than the main event, but the reality is it is the main event that sells the tickets.
The previous champions – Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, Robert Whitaker and Du Plessis – made sure the fans got what they paid for, putting up exciting displays of mixed martial arts, even when the fights went the distance.
Chimaev – who has a reported 10 million followers on Instagram – is an extremely popular figure, but even he was booed by the sold-out crowd in Chicago on Sunday.
The middleweight division is extremely stacked with plenty of exciting talent coming through the ranks – Du Plessis being on that list, and he’s sure to be back contending again – but the question now must be, can anyone stop this Russian?
At the end of the day, it is the fans who make or break sport, and if they aren’t happy, then you have a problem.
