UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev’s coach compares the fighter to Mike Tyson and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Chimaev’s coach, Andreas Michael, appeared on Ariel Helwani’s show and spoke about the fighter’s recent win against Gilbert Burns.
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He spoke about the criticism that the Swedish fighter received. This was mainly because Chimaev did not look as dominant as he has been. As per the coach, many questioned Chimaev’s conditioning. However, Michael disagrees with them because, if it were true, Chimaev would not be able to win.
“Remember, Khamzat has nearly never gone like past the second, … the first round. … it’s like Tyson. The first time that he went like the for the 12 rounds, everyone was like ‘oh my god, he got exposed’, you know,” he said.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 19: Khamzat Chimaev of Chechnya celebrates after his knockout victory over Gerald Meerschaert in their middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on September 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“What did they say about Khabib for example, when he was like when he fought against Tibau? … great great fighters but it’s how you handle adversity… And not every every performance can be spectacular…”.
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Thus, while Chimaev’s fight against Burns may have not been his best so far, many fans thought it was the biggest fight on the UFC 273 card. For the first time, spectators saw Chimaev fight in the third round as well as eat a number of punches.
UFC 273 was also the first time he won via a decision. Thus, the bout was a war in the octagon.
Did Khamzat Chimaev actually win against Gilbert Burns?
Many fans felt that Burns was the truly deserving winner. However, ‘Borz’ won the bout via a unanimous decision. In addition to this, Andreas Michael believes that Chimaev deserved the win. But he also had something to add.
Michael said, “I don’t think absolutely not that like that we lost the fight. That was like a clear win for us. Absolutely. But, it was messy.”
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 26: Khamzat Chimaev of Chechnya celebrates after his TKO victory over Rhys McKee of Northern Ireland in their welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 26, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Thus, the fighter’s team may not be exactly happy with the performance, and Chimaev not following the plan. However, for them, it was a deserving and clear win.
The UFC aims to make Colby Covington versus Khamzat Chimaev happen. As a result, it would be interesting to see if it actually happens. What do you think?
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