The world just witnessed one of the greatest fights at 21 in Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns. UFC Middleweight champ Israel Adesanya reacts to what he called the “co-co-main event” of the night. Izzy was very impressed by Chimaev‘s performance against Burns in the thrilling matchup that won ‘Fight of the Night’ honors and also is a possible ‘Fight of the Year’ contender.
After a 3-round of slugfest, the Chechen fighter emerged victorious via unanimous decision. The bout marked the first time that Khamzat couldn’t finish an opponent and had to go the distance.
‘The Last Stylebender’ applauded both fighters at the riveting contest’s end and seemed impressed by Chimaev’s striking skills, conditioning, willingness, and mindset. In the end, he also referred to the Chechen’s ambitions to be in the title picture in the Welterweight division.
“He’s well-conditioned. Even though he’s tired he’s well, he’s good. It’s his mindset, yeah, his mind doesn’t get tired. Hey, you want to play against Kamaru Usman? Good.”
Khamzat Chimaev believes he can ‘smash’ Colby Covington in a potential fight
For the first time, Khamzat Chimaev was seen getting rocked, outstruck, and struggling against an opponent in his recent bout at UFC 273. The fight took place at the VyStar Veterans Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Even though there were two title fights, it is safe to say that Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns stole the show.
‘Borz’ secured a decision win after 3 rounds of back-and-forth brawl in the octagon against the former welterweight contender. Needless to say, the bout also made it obvious, that it won’t be a cakewalk for Khamzat Chimaev at the top of the division.
UFC president Dana White has previously claimed that the undefeated ‘Borz’
Although he was pushed to the limit by Burns, Chimaev’s confidence remains sky-high. The Chechen still believes he’ll knock Covington out in a potential scrap. During the post-fight press conference following UFC 273, he was asked about a potential fight against Covington, and this is what he had to say.
“If that guy don’t call the cops and if Dana White don’t go to jail, I will be happy to come to the fight and smash his face.”
It was also very surprising to witness neither of those guys getting finished after such a slugfest and although Chimaev got the win, he seemed a tad bit disappointed about being unable to finish the fight. Also, for the first time, Chimaev’s chin was tested against a top contender with fierce knockout power. Additionally, his conditioning was so amazing, that even Israel Adesanya praised it.
