The fight that stole everyone’s thunder this Saturday at UFC 273 was the epic clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns. From the beginning to the end, it was a rollercoaster ride that gave the fans everything that they wanted and more. If the recent back and forth between the two are any indication, then a rematch may just be on the cards.
Although the majority of the headlines were attributed to Chimaev, Burns deserves a lot more credit for how good of a fight he put up against the undefeated Swedish fighter. The Brazilian landed a massive right hook on Chimaev in the closing seconds of round two which sent the 27-year old tumbling to the ground for the first time in his career.
Now, it looks as if Gilbert Burns wants a rematch against Khamzat Chimaev. However, this time around, he wants the fight to be 5 rounds instead of 3. In a post on Twitter, Burns added that he’d be happy to replace Colby Covington (Khamzat’s next potential opponent) if Colby refuses to take the fight. He wrote,
If call the cops don’t show up you know who to call @KChimaev 5 rounds ???? ???? pic.twitter.com/vxy2YZDOkk
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) April 12, 2022
Khamzat Chimaev responds to Gilbert Burns
Never the one to back down easily, Khamzat Chimaev responded to Gilbert Burns straight away. He has only fought for the entirety of all 3 rounds once in his short UFC career at UFC 273. Despite that, he sounds more than confident in his ability to go all 5 rounds against Burns. Chimaev replied,
In 5 rounds I will take your soul see you soon boy ????????????
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) April 12, 2022
‘The Borz’ was back in training right after the event on Saturday. After the event, UFC president Dana White expressed his wish to match Khamzat Chimaev up with the current no. 1 ranked welterweight Colby Covington. Hence, Chimaev wants to be in peak physical shape ahead of a potential showdown against the biggest star in the division.
No days off for Khamzat Chimaev ???? (via IG/AndreasTheGeneral) pic.twitter.com/vMcSNXcgqg
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) April 12, 2022
The fight is being targeted for an upcoming fight card which is scheduled to air live on the ABC network. UFC is clearly trying their best to turn the undefeated fighter into a megastar similar to Conor McGregor. Hence, the choice to put him in the main event of a network television show will certainly bring a lot more eyeballs to Khamzat Chimaev.
Khamzat is already a household name in the UFC despite having only 5 fights. His action-oriented style of fighting has won over even the most hardcore of the fans. If he can repeat the success he had in his first 5 UFC fights against Covington on free television, there will not be any denying that Khamzat Chimaev is on his way to becoming a bonafide Pay Per View (PPV) star.