Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of the UFC‘s newest budding star, Khamzat Chimaev (9-0). Chimaev made his debut with the promotion during their first run on Fight Island back in July.
Chimaev won two fights in ten days on the UFC‘s Fight Island, but it wasn’t just the fact that Chimaev won two fights in ten days, it was the matter in which he won the fights. He completed dismantled two good fighters and made it look easy.
Chimaev had the biggest test of his career against Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Vegas 11. This was the fight that would really tell us where Chimaev was in his development. Well 14 seconds into the fight, Chimaev knocked Meerschaert out cold with a right hand.
Chimaev has all the makings to be a star. Dana White said he’s never seen anyone like him. He’s got wrestling like Khabib Nurmagomedov, but he also possesses fluidity and power in his striking. Combine that with his pressure and pace and he’s going to be a massive problem for anyone in the UFC.
UFC Middleweight Champ hasn’t seen him
Despite all of the hype, the UFC‘s middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, told Yahoo Sports that he hand’t even watched, “Rat lip,” fight yet. As he’s prepared for UFC 253, he doesn’t seem to know a lot about Chimaev, which tells you something.
There’s no way that Adesanya hasn’t seen or heard a lot about Chimaev. The fact that he’s downplaying him the way he is, tells you he knows a lot. Of course, Chimaev is going to have to beat more top guys before he can get a crack at UFC gold, but it won’t be long.
Chimaev is putting fighters at welterweight and middleweight on notice. I might sound like someone who’s conducting the hype train, but this guy is truly something special. He reminds me of the way Jon Jones looked when he was rising early in his UFC career.
Chimaev is rumored to be taking on Demian Maia on Fight Island. However, that fight hasn’t been confirmed. If Chimaev runs through Maia the way he’s ran through his first three opponents, the man could be just a fight or two away from a UFC title shot in whatever division he wants.