If there was one fighter that became a star from the UFC‘s trip to Fight Island it was Khamzat Chimaev (8-0). Chimaev fought twice in ten days, smashing both of his opponents.
The numbers that Chimaev put up in his first couple of fights were just insane. Chimaev outstruck his two opponents 192-2 in his two fights. Think about that dominance for just a second. Chimaev is an absolute animal.
The one thing that Dana White loves is a fighter who’s hungry, and Chimaev is definitely hungry. “Borz” has been begging White for another fight at UFC 252. White seems to be all for it saying, “He wants to fight now again in August. I’m going to get him what he wants.”
Top UFC contender now?
Chimaev currently only has eight fights, but he doesn’t look like someone who’s still trying to figure it out. He looks like a killer already and he’s hungry to keep fighting.
Chimaev’s smooth confidence is another thing that is going to make him extremely popular with fans. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani said yesterday he believes that Chimaev can already compete with the top five of the UFC‘s welterweight division.
The UFC is trying to get Chimaev a fight, but it looks like he’s already been throwing a few names out there.
https://twitter.com/KChimaev/status/1287282296823795713
https://twitter.com/KChimaev/status/1287350551454212097
Chimaev has called out former title challenger, Demian Maia (28-10) and top ten UFC contender, Michael Chiesa (17-4). To be honest, I think Chimaev beats both of them right now.
I’m on the same boat as Helwani in my belief in this guy. Maia presents an interesting challenge considering his grappling capabilities, but it’s going to be hard to submit a guy with the level of output as Chimaev.
I think you’re going to see Chimaev get fast-tracked. With his skillset, I think he would fair better on this track than others with more of a striking background would. He’s a problem for anyone that steps across the octagon from him.