“If Khamzat wins, it’s a disaster.” Those were the words of former UFC fighter and current analyst Din Thomas. And just like that, the MMA world lit up once again. For the unversed, the jab was aimed squarely at Khamzat Chimaev’s reliability as a champion. With a fight history marred by six cancellations, Thomas’ comment sparked a wave of opinions from all corners of the fight game. However, those looking for a different point of view may have just found the most interesting take of all in Michael Bisping. 

To be honest, ‘Borz’ catching heat for missing crucial fights isn’t anything new. Even UFC President Dana White has had his share of frustration over Chimaev’s string of illnesses and injuries. Speaking on The Jim Rome Show in 2024, White had an upsetting reaction after the UFC Saudi Arabia bout failed to materialize due to Chimaev falling violently ill. 

The head honcho bluntly said, “Every time this guy gets close to a fight, I see video footage of him on the ground, violently ill. He was hospitalized again. He hadn’t trained for three or four days—or five days, I don’t know exactly what the number was. But we could not put him into a fight next weekend.”

If Dana White himself expressed serious concern, does that justify Din Thomas’ claim? To dig deeper into that question, Bisping decided to weigh in. On his YouTube channel, ‘The Count‘ acknowledged that Chimaev’s track record raises red flags. He said, “Now, Khamzat Chimaev hasn’t been the most reliable guy. The reality is, when you look at his record here on Tapology, he has pulled out of six fights.” However, Bisping also took a closer look at ‘Borz’s overall career, suggesting there’s more to the story than just cancellation numbers. 

He added, “Now, first of all, those three fights with Leon Edwards were probably because of COVID. That was around 2021, and I can’t remember the exact details, but fights were dropping off left, right, and center because of COVID. So let’s forget about those three. The one with Nate Diaz, okay, he couldn’t make weight, so they brought in Kevin Holland instead. So at least he did end up fighting somebody. Then Paulo Costa. I can’t remember exactly what happened there.” 

Well, just like Bisping laid out, not all of Khamzat Chimaev’s cancellations were his fault. The UFC 294 bout, for instance, was scrapped because Paulo Costa suffered an elbow injury and had to be replaced by Kamaru Usman. But it’s also true that the Chechnya native has a habit of falling ill ahead of big fights. So naturally, there’s concern about whether ‘Borz’ will stay healthy. especially if he gets the win over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319.

That said, he’s looked pretty dialed in since beating Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. Hopefully, there’s no bad luck before the big showdown on August 16 or beyond. Because some contenders might already be thinking Chimaev’s the easier champ to prepare for. 

Reinier de Ridder believes Khamzat Chimaev would be much easier to prepare for than Dricus du Plessis  

Reinier de Ridder is right in front of the door to a 185 lbs title shot after edging out Robert Whittaker in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event with a razor-close split decision. He has already called out the UFC 319 winner for a possible title fight. But that’s not all—the Dutchman also seems to have an idea who’d be the easier stylistic matchup for him.

During an interview with ESPN MMA, de Ridder said, “Khamzat would be an easier fight to prepare for. He’s more of a typical style. I can bring a couple of Dagestanis and Chechens who wrestle pretty similar to Khamzat. It’s not as weird as Dricus is. It would be harder to prepare for Dricus, but if he wins, he might be the bigger name.”

Well, it’s true that preparing for a fighter like Dricus du Plessis isn’t an easy task! ‘Stillknocks’ might’ve pushed all the boundaries of traditional martial arts technique, and also found massive success doing that. But at the same time, Khamzat’s relentless grappling might be just as hard to decipher and train for.

As for de Ridder, his long frame could be even tougher to deal with once he gets a dominant position. And with his experience as a grappler, he might have the edge. ‘RDR’ can definitely stuff takedowns too, as he has decent enough takedown defense. 

That being said, are we going to see an active Khamzat Chimaev so we can finally watch him go up against ‘RDR’ in the future? Comment your thoughts below!