Khamzat Chimaev took on Gilbert Burns in what was an epic three-round war that went to the distance at UFC 273. This was Chimaev’s most difficult test in his entire UFC career as he faced several adversities during the fight.
But he showed no signs of stopping despite getting dropped by Burns in the second round as he won the fight via unanimous decision. Consequently, this matchup rightly received the fight of the night award as both Chimaev and Burns traded big blows until the last second of the fight.
In the end, Khamzat managed to survive and edged past Burns in this three round thriller. Following his fifth straight win in the welterweight division, the Swedish contender is now just one win away from a title shot.
Many fans and contenders appreciated Chimaev’s striking and durability after his win over the #2 welterweight contender. But surprisingly former two division champion Henry Cejudo believes that Chimaev should move up a weight class. He also added that Khamzat would lose to The Nigerian Nightmare if he displays a similar performance.
Triple C explained during his podcast with Schmo why Chimaev should compete in the middleweight division.
“I almost feel like he’s too big for 170. And I always said that he’s too big and yeah you can make the weight but you’re barely able to make weight where it really affects you. I think Chimaev at 185 pounds is a more dangerous Chimaev than 170 pounds I really do.”
Do let us know in the comments section if you agree with Henry Cejudo’s thoughts about The Borz moving up a weight class to compete in the 185 pound division.
How would Khamzat Chimaev fare in the middleweight division?
Apart from a few middleweights, Khamzat Chimaev won’t face any problems in terms of reach and height. And as Cejudo mentioned in his podcast Chimaev faces a lot of troubles while making weight at 170. So moving up a weight class would be ideal for him, given his brilliant striking and exceptional wrestling capabilities.
He showed in his last fight against Gilbert Burns, that it is extremely difficult to take him down and if he moves up a division, then he would probably outclass most of the middleweight contenders with his world class wrestling skills. However, it is easier said than done as he has less experience at 185.
But one thing is certain after his display at UFC 273 that Khamzat is a huge prospect and has great potential to become a multiple division champion.