In the UFC, the designation of prospect (promise) falls on many fighters. But one on which all eyes focused years ago was Khamzat Chimaev. The Chechen fighter arrived undefeated in July 2020, with a belligerent personality and a very aggressive style, based on initial power, his overwhelming strength in the fight and his finishing power. He quickly reached the top positions in the company and there was already talk of the next middleweight champion.
However, despite his rapid rise, various health problems slowed down his frenetic career. With several fights canceled in recent years, excitement about his figure has decreased, but he still remains one of the public’s favorites. To obtain the victory against Robert Whittaker (ranked 3rd in the ranking), his long-awaited starting opportunity I would be closer than everand would already be able to meet the expectations placed on it.
Khamzat Chimaev’s career
In his debut in the company he submitted John Phillips in the second round, after only receiving one blow. In their next three clashes comes the reason for their success. After only 10 days, he fought again against Rhys McKee, whom he finished in the first round. And in less than two months he returned against Gerald Meerschaert, whom he turned off the lights in 17 seconds. After this, its activity stopped cold due to problems with Covid-19. He even considered the possibility of retirement.
After the illness, he would defeat Li Jingliang with astonishing superiority, capable of lifting him off the ground and starting to talk to the CEO of the UFC, Dana White, in the middle of the fight. In his first four fights in the UFC he received only one blow, and none in three consecutive ones. He would then have a great promotion at welterweight by defeating Gilbert Burns (third at that time), but at UFC 279, where he was headlining the event, he did not make weight, and was moved to the co-main event where he beat Kevin Holland, without receiving hits again. His last fight was against Kamaru Usman at middleweight (185 pounds, 83.9 kilos), where he won the decision.
Despite gaining weight, he maintained health problems that made him drop out of fights against Paulo Costa and Whittaker himself. Added to this is that due to his relationship with Ramzan Kadyrov he cannot fight in the USA, leaving him with Abu Dhabi, where he is a mass phenomenon. And although he went from fighting every 10 days to once a year, he is still one of the fighters who moves the most around him. Now he faces the biggest challenge of his career, Whittaker, which will determine whether Khamzat Chimaev was smoke or if he is indeed the next contender for champion.
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