Khamzat Chimaev is now just a few weeks away from finally fighting for a UFC title when he takes on Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 319 main event.
When Khamzat Chimaev first burst onto the scene in the UFC in 2020, it seemed inevitable that ‘Borz’ would go on to compete for at least one UFC title.
Despite that, the Chechen’s career began to stall as he continued to run into several health complications and at one point even briefly retired because of his ongoing concerns.
Fortunately though, Chimaev returned last October at UFC 308 and earned a title shot against Dricus Du Plessis when he crushed Robert Whittaker’s jaw.
Former champion predicts Du Plessis vs Chimaev
Over his relatively short tenure in the premier promotion, Chimaev has been involved in several feuds with many different fighters.
One of which is Kevin Holland after the two clashed backstage ahead of their respective fights at UFC 279, causing a fight week catastrophe.
However, more recently, Chimaev sparked a feud with the former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, potentially attempting to set up a title fight before he made a permanent move up to 185lbs.
And despite Chimaev’s harsh words towards Belal Muhammad in the past, ‘Remember The Name’ has offered a prediction for the UFC 319 main event, claiming that too many people are counting ‘Borz’ out.
“Honestly, I think too many people are counting out Chimaev’s cardio. I think where Khabib (Nurmagomedov) said it best, if he stands up and strikes with him I think he’ll do well,” Muhammad said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“(Du Plessis) has an awkward style but he does get hit a lot and he breaks a lot of guys with fatigue. If Chimaev doesn’t come out super hard in the first round trying to take him down and using all of his energy, I think he’ll be fine if he just keeps it standing.
“And then later on maybe try and wear on him a little bit but you don’t want to go out for the kill in that first round and end up burning yourself for four rounds… But I got Chimaev, he’s a lot crisper on the feet and definitely crisper on the ground,” Muhammad continued.
Khabib offers Chimaev some sound advice ahead of title fight
Although Chimaev is widely regarded as one of the most dominant wrestlers in UFC history, he has notably had issues with his cardio so far throughout his tenure.
And with that, former UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov has offered Chimaev some sound advice ahead of his title fight, suggesting that ‘Borz’ utilizes his striking more in this matchup.