Chimaev has almost no chance. Khamzat faced a tough opponent
Sergey Sorokin March 28, 2024, 09:30 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Borz in the middleweight division meets only the best on the way to the championship belt.
Khamzat Chimaev has moved between divisions throughout his career. Lately, he has focused on the middleweight division, where he looks to win his first UFC championship belt. Borz already had a fight with Kamaru Usman, in which he won by majority decision. The fight with the former champion of the organization became a powerful test of strength for Khamzat. Chimaev demanded a title shot from the promotion. And I had another fight with the prefix “super.” On June 22, Borz will perform at the UFC Fight Nights tournament in Saudi Arabia.
Khamzat is compared to McGregor, but it takes one more step to reach a new level:
Chimaev is the new Conor. Why is Borz so similar to the Irish and what is his main weakness?
Dana White announced an event that dwarfs many numbered tournaments in terms of cards. In the main fight of the night, Khamzat will fight the third number in the middleweight rankings: Robert Whittaker. One gets the feeling that the fight simply must have contender status. Both fighters managed to show that they deserved to fight for the belt. The Australian already held the championship title, temporary and indisputable. And for Chimaev that opportunity could be the first of his career, so he definitely won’t lack motivation.
Khamzat Chimaev
Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images
It seems that Chimaev has received the most dangerous opponent of his career. The experienced 33-year-old Australian has not been particularly stable lately, but he loses exclusively to the best. Since 2014, Robert has only three losses in the UFC. Whittaker lost twice to Israel Adesanya, and both times the organization’s championship belt was at stake. And on July 8, 2023, Reaper lost to Dricus du Plessis. That is, the representative of South Africa currently has the middleweight championship belt.
Robert has already managed to overcome the defeat of Drikus. On February 17 he competed at UFC 298, where he defeated Paulo Costa by unanimous decision. And there Whittaker clearly demonstrated that he was not out of danger. The Australian dominated throughout the three rounds, and during the entire fight only once allowed his opponent to shake him on the stands. It is worth noting that Robert himself works brilliantly with his hands. He has finished his opponents by knockout 10 times in his career. Twice I managed to finish my opponents in the first round. Whittaker also lands 4.57 punches per round and misses only 3.45.
Paulo Costa – Robert Whittaker
Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
But Robert’s greatest danger is his ability to defend himself. Whittaker himself rarely engages in wrestling. During his UFC career, the Australian took his opponents to the ground only four times. He prefers to fight standing. And Reaper doesn’t let his opponents knock things down: he has 83% knockdown protection. Chimaev is famous for his ability to destroy opponents with wrestling. But if Robert wisely distances himself and defends himself against transfers, he can deprive Khamzat of his most important weapon. Whether Borz will be able to perform well in the stand-up position against such an experienced opponent is a big question.
Another advantage Whittaker may have is his cardiovascular advantage. Chimaev’s ability to quickly take down his opponents plays a cruel joke on him somewhere. The fact is that most of the time, Khamzat eliminates all questions in the first five minutes. And prolonged fights turn into real torture. Both Gilbert Burns and Usman himself were improving and gaining momentum with each round. And Chimaev, frankly, was getting tired and starting to get lost. Therefore, if Robert cannot finish quickly, he can demonstrate the strength of the cardio to him. And then achieving the optimal result will be even more difficult.
Let’s find out if Khamzat himself has enough strength for a five-round massacre:
Chimaev’s trick will work perfectly. Borz will turn the middleweight division into a wrestling school
UFC once again prepares a true test of strength for Khamzat. Chimaev faced one of the most dangerous opponents possible. And he will try to do everything possible to surpass him on the way to the title. If Borz copes with the task and defeats the experienced Australian, the organization simply will not be able to ignore Khamzat.
