Jon Jones was seriously impressed by Khamzat Chimaev’s performance at UFC 319.
The 15-0 Russian fighter made it look easy as he dethroned UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis on Saturday night.
Khamzat Chimaev dominated with his grappling to earn a lopsided unanimous decision victory at UFC 319.
However, the new 185lb titleholder has faced some backlash for refusing to chase a finish in his biggest fight to date.
Jon Jones praises Khamzat Chimaev
Jon Jones reacted to Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 319 title win with a one-word message on social media.
‘Congratulations,” he tweeted alongside a wolf emoji that symbolized Chimaev’s nickname.
Later, Jones expressed an interest in training with the newly crowned UFC middleweight champion.
Now, he’s shared his honest opinion on Chimaev’s much-discussed performance at UFC 319.
Jones ended his review by predicting Chimaev will look even better when he defends his belt for the first time.
“His control was outstanding, it was a brilliant performance,” he tweeted.
“I’m sure he’ll take a lot from this dominant showing, and next time we’ll probably see him chase more finishes.”
Khamzat Chimaev’s next fight
Khamzat Chimaev expressed his interest in a quick turnaround immediately after UFC 319.
The 31-year-old hopes to defend his new belt at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on October 25.
Dana White hinted that it could be Chimaev’s potential return date during his post-fight press conference.
Just a few days later, competing in October looks very unlikely as the top four middleweight contenders are all tied up with fights against each other.
First up, Nassourdine Imavov will fight Caio Borralho in the main event of UFC Paris on September 6.
On Monday, White announced another huge middleweight fight between Reinier de Ridder and Anthony Hernandez, who will headline UFC Vancouver on October 18.
It seems highly unlikely that any of the 185lb foursome will be fit and ready to fight Chimaev at the end of October.