Khamzat Chimaev, a Swedish fighter who was born in Chechnya and had been tipped to move up to middleweight, appears to be aiming for the 185-pound weight class. Videos of “Borz,” who has been training at the Tiger Muay Thai facility in Thailand, show him beating down a sparring partner while appearing bigger than the typical welterweight.
The 28-year-old took part in a rigorous training session in a recent video that Spinnin Backfist shared on Twitter, with rising UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev in the background. As they record the session, Chimaev’s training partners appear to be fascinated by his physical control over his partner. The text box in the video reads:
Khamzat Chimaev, who has three Swedish wrestling championship victories, is rightfully regarded as one of the top grapplers in the organisation. With the exception of Gilbert Burns, with whom he fought to the finish at UFC 273, the undefeated fighter has battered a number of his past UFC foes.
Chimaev hasn’t been scheduled for a bout yet this year; it is unclear who “Borz” will meet next.
Darren Till believes Khamzat Chimaev would “maul” Alex Pereira
Since ‘Poatan’ stunned Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 last year, Khamzat Chimaev has made it known that he wants to fight Alex Pereira. Although “Borz” had previously competed in the 185-pound weight class, there has been much talk regarding the possibility of his moving up permanently.
But according to his colleague and one-half of the “Smesh Bros,” Darren Till, Chimaev will easily defeat Pereira if they square off in the octagon. In a recent interview, the Englishman discussed the upcoming fight and expressed entire confidence in his pal to defeat the middleweight champion in under a minute.
Till recently shared his perspective on a prospective Chimaev vs. Pereira match in an interview with Seconds Out, saying:
“Khamzat will maul him; the fight will last 30 seconds. ‘Borz’ last competed at UFC 279 in September of last year against Kevin Holland after failing to make weight by more than seven pounds and having his scheduled contest against Nate Diaz changed. Khamzat would crush him.
It is uncertain whether Chimaev will get his chance to defend the middleweight title this year because “Poatan” is slated to face “The Last Stylebender” in a rematch at UFC 287 in April.
