Ben Askren Thinks Khamzat Chimaev Can Win Fighter of the Year

Khamzat Chimaev has been making waves in the UFC since his debut in July this year. Former UFC welterweight Ben Askren sat down with the media to discuss the upcoming star.

Askren pegged Khamzat as a highly opportunistic individual, managing to take fights on short notice and to win them with devastating effect.

‘Borz’ has fought 3 times already, setting a record for the quickest turnaround. It’s not about the fact that Chimaev takes the fights, it’s about how he wins them. Khamzat remains undefeated in the UFC, and none of the fights have made it past the 2nd round.

With the end of the year just a month away, there is a lot of talk for ‘Fighter of the Year’. Askren thinks that Khamzat has a fair chance of winning that award.

Speaking to Mike Heck from MMA Fighting, Askren went on to say, “If Chimaev beats Leon Edwards, I think it’s (fighter of the year) probably gonna go to him. Of the champions, I don’t think there’s any of them who’ve even had (three fights this year).”

Khamzat Chimaev vs Leon Edwards

Chimaev has been extremely active and once again makes his way to the octagon on the last UFC card of the year. He is scheduled to face #3 ranked Leon Edwards in the main event to close out 2020 for the UFC.

Askren continued, “The formula for what makes a star is fascinating to me because there is no formula. Chimaev’s doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. It’s like he’s a little bit funny but not that funny. He’s won fights in a handful of different ways.

“It’s like why did he catch on so fast when there are other fighters in UFC who if you listed a level of criteria that you would say for a superstar they probably would fit the criteria much better than Chimaev would.”

However, Askren acknowledged that there is something special about ‘Borz’. He went on to say, “There’s just something about the story where he fought at different weight classes. He turned around in 10 days.

“There’s just something about that story that for whatever reason has caught on like fire and yes, if he beats Leon Edwards, especially if it’s decisively, he’ll probably be a Top-5 personality in UFC by the end of 2020.”

Edwards represents a major step up in competition for Chimaev, and a win will break him into the Top-5 of the UFC rankings. Khamzat Chimaev could very well be the ‘Fighter of the Year’.

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