UFC fans all over the world got what they wanted in the most anticipated match at UFC 273 in Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns, which has won ‘Fight of the Night’ honors and also is a ‘Fight of the Year’ contender.
The Chechen remains undefeated after scoring a unanimous decision win against Burns in a blood bath. But apparently, ‘Borz’ was so focused on knocking out Burns, that he eventually forgot the game plan he had for the fight.
Obviously, Andreas Michael, Khamzat’s coach was not happy with Chimaev’s approach against a top contender like ‘Durinho’.
Khamzat (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) got off to a good start against Burns on Saturday’s PPV main card when he dropped him with a jab. But after Round 1, Burns turned it into a dog fight and forced Chimaev to dig deep.
Michael was seen screaming at his star pupil and the AllStars Gym Sweden head coach revealed what he told Chimaev at the end of Round 2 in a long Instagram post:
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“People ask me what I told Khamza end of round 2 this is what I told him ”stop brawling stop having a street fight use your straight punches and keep it Easy, this is an easy fight if you don’t brawl all you have to do is keep him on your jab and have patience.”
Andreas stated that he was very upset because he believes in his star student and knows what Khamzat is capable of. But the aura of invincibility around Khamzat has been cracked and everyone is now aware of his weaknesses.
“People gonna underestimate us now……….big mistake! Be My Guest!” Michael added.
Khamzat Chimaev is looking to make some improvements in his game after UFC 273
Chimaev has been humbled after that dog fight against ‘Durinho’ and stated that he is willing to make adjustments after becoming aware of his flaws against Burns.
‘Borz’ accepted that he got greedy to knock Burns out, and drifted away from his initial game plan, which resulted in him getting dropped. In the post-fight interview, Khamzat stated:
“Next time it will be much better, because this time, I try to knock him out.”
After getting into that brawl, Khamzat’s coach was furious for not following the game plan. At the end of the 2nd-round, Khamzat was seen getting screamed at by his coach, following the 2nd-round.
“I have to work actually now. Now I know, I have to work with my head, mind, my mindset. I was stronger than him, physical.”
The Chechen just had the toughest battle of his career, but he will come back much stronger, and more evolved as a mixed martial artist when he returns again.
Both Chimaev and Burns were visibly exhausted heading into the final round and after three rounds of battle, both of the fighters were seen taking deep breaths. While the conditioning and striking of Chimaev were on point, but he needs to up his game if he is looking for a date with the Welterweight kingpin, Kamaru Usman in the Octagon.
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