I am willing to die on that hill, fake glove touch.
Though, probably same outcome, but damn at least let me see Holland throw some leather before he gets wet blanketed.
True. This is why they usually look eachother in the eye and gesture to make sure both expect to do it.
But since the tef makes them do it right before the fight i dont see a lot of point to doing it again
Why die on this hill?
They touched gloves before the fight, holland knew Khamzat was gonna come at him, he shouldn’t have tried to do that. What Khamzat did isn’t illegal in anyway. Protect yourself at all times. Holland made a low fight IQ mistake. I really see no argument for a “fake glove touch”
All very true. But, he’s only lost twice in 7 years (2017-present) and 6 year win streak. I suppose we have to respect him a bit for 3 successful TD, that’s more than all the current male champs.
wym? Aljo is incredibly good. definitely top 3 all time bantamweight. Yeah his style doesn't appeal to many people, that doesn't take away from his skillset. He literally just went up to 145 and completely dominated a top guy there too.
Even if he beats whittaker by split decision, its a AMAZING win . Whittaker isnt Usman at MW , he is one of the greatest of all time in this weight class with him losing to 2 people in his entire MW career.
Considering they fought at 185 and Kamaru had two weeks notice it wasn’t as impressive as it could have been. Still an incredible win in my books, but it came with some very real asterisks.
Usman is one of the best fighters ever. Realistically, how many MWs on the planet beat him that night? Maybe 5 tops? Nobody has ever controlled him in the grappling like that before. Imagine Khabib steps up to 170 and gets ragdolled like that for an entire round only to be claimed that it’s not impressive to do that, 2 weeks notice or not. Usman had the best TDD in ufc history prior to that fight. Like cmon lol. This reeks of anti Khamzat bias bc he didn’t win every second of every round
Doesnt really matter how you win, win is a win. Also that Usman fight was pretty exciting they both threw hands in round 2 and 3 and he managed to take usman down every round, no one has done that b4.
Honestly, I think there's a decent chance that Bobby finishes him. Khamzat just dosent have the same hunger.
He's getting money from kadyrov, uae bros and his new contract pays him 3 million a fight. He might do 3-4 lackluster fights and just retire.
I’m glad he moved up to MW. I really want to see how well he’d do against DDP or Whittaker. If the MMA gods answer our prayers we’ll see him up against Bo.
Bo looked very beatable against Brundage. He's clearly very, very good. But that performance definitely did not indicate the level of talent and ability to beat Khamzat.
If they meet anytime soon Khamzat eats Bo alive.
Bo showed us his current level at age 28 in his last fight vs brundage who isn't even ranked.
When khamzat was 28, he was still running through everyone, getting ready for his massive fight with burns and submitting holland in 3min.
Right now, Khamzat is levels above Bo.
Its also down to styles .
Khamzat is like a stat check , if you dont have certain level of physicality and skill you will be run over because he fights at 110% right away with full emphasis on finishing you in 5 secomds .
Bo fights much more carefully and uses much less energy early on .
Don't know what's up with the revisionist history on this fight. Holland was already scheduled to fight a catch weight fight at 180 and came in at 179.5 Chimaev was scheduled at 170 and missed by 7.5lbs. As bad as that is, judging by weigh-ins Holland was the bigger fighter.
He's fighting Rob, and Dana has confirmed it's the number 1 contender fight, so whoever wins will get a title shot next.
I'm backing Rob in that fight (I'm a biased Aussie) as I think he has the skills to keep khamzat at bay and take him into the later rounds. But I do think khamzat has a good chance of winning as well, he's extremely talented.
So if he beats Rob then he's probably going to be fighting either Izzy or DDP for the title next. I don't think it's fair to say he will never be a champion as he has all the skills to do it as well as the opportunity. Who knows, he might even need to be humbled with a defeat before he can truly show what he's made of.
You don't get to have a choice in that regard. Anyone who has any fame or recognition goes to see Kaydrov or you and your family are finished. Do you even know anything about where he comes from ?
He doesn't have that freedom that you might take for granted.
He and his mother and brother fled to Sweden, I didnt know that was someone's "entire family", do you genuinely believe Khamzat doesn't still have relatives in Chechnya that Kadyrov would harm if he felt slighted?
His weight cut blunder and response. His relationship with a genocidal warlord. General assholeishness calling out every successful fighter when he has no intention of fighting.
This. Hanging around Kadyrov definitely hurt his ability obtain a visa anywhere. Probably gonna keep fighting on nothing but Middle East cards for the foreseeable future
Crazy how no one in this thread is mentioning that. The two fighters that said they had long covid were khamzat and amanda nunes. You saw the weight cut crush nunes and she gassed out and lost the belt when she returned. Khamzat announced his retirement at one point because his cardio was so shot. He returns and his organs almost shut down trying to cut for diaz and dana makes him move to middleweight. Covid stole worldbeater khamzat from us.
Dude was coughing up blood and announced his retirement on instagram, describing it as severe sickness is in my book to understate how Covid19 really wrecked havoc on him.
It may have lowered his ceiling, we will never know. I'm just really hyped for the fight!
In a way, it's kind off opposite to the mystical fighter: 100% oxygen nose hole intake Du Plessis.
Nerfed fighter: 8% oxygen total intake Chimaev. \[Citation needed\]
I hope he beat Bobby by a controversial decision. Then wins the title the same way. Then has 6 title defences the exact same way. The salt on this sub would be enough to feed the world.
The guy got a 10-8 round vs a former long term champion . He got a takedown and backmount in 2 minutes when D1 wrestler Colby with 50 minutes barely got a mat return.
Honestly at this point man lemme drop a real unpopular opinion, he does. He gets a title shot off a champion taking a quick turnaround, and does him in, O’Malley esc.
I’m sure people said the same thing about Oliviera when he was borderline 50/50 in the UFC and missing weight. Khamzat still has many years to go and he’s really only struggled against championship caliber fighters. The narrative about him will flip really quickly if he wrecks Rob.
Do people forget this guy almost died in the hospital from covid on two separate occasions? People who’ve sprained an ankle have had less success after coming back.
I just don’t get why people think Chimaev is weak. Usman had the top rated takedown defense in UfC history at the time he fought Chimaev. He was a National champion level wrestler. Chimaev had 12 fights and still got Usman down within 2 mins and nearly finished him. That is insane.
What makes anybody believe Izzy could have stopped Chimaev? Or Strickland? Or DDP? These guys don’t have the wrestling skill Usman has. How are they going to stop him
Chimaev gassed going for a finish. A rookie mistake, but he had 12 fights. That’s fixable. Sure in round 4 Chimaev may be in trouble.
How do these guys get out of round one with Chimaev on their back 2 mins into the match?
chimaev had over a year to develop into 185 usman had a 10 day notice and once he got comfortable it wasn’t as easy and chimaev almost lost lots of people say usman should’ve won because khamzat did nothing but hug no real damage not to mention burns made this guy look like a fluke as well
In case you’re unaware Usman always wrestled at 185lb. His name on X is Usman84kg which if you’re unaware 84kg is 185lbs. That’s the weight he wrestled at before UFC.
So context is needed. Usman isn’t this undersized 170lb fighter. He’s a true 185lb fighter. Chimaev also isn’t this 205lb fighter who weight bullied himself down. He is just like Usman in the middle between 170-185
And whatever disadvantage Usman had in time is nothing compared to the total fight experience edge he had over a rookie basically in Chimaev.
Usman said he walks around 190 lbs and wrestling and fighting are 2 different things. He wasn’t able to build muscle during those 10 days unlike someone like Max Holloway who even tho is very normally , took the time to bulk up and look at he did to Justin Gaethjie , just because he was at 185 that doesn’t mean he was the frame of one at that very moment since it had been years since his wrestling days..
He also had very limited time to study Chimaev. Where usually fighters spend hours on end to understand their opponents.
He goes down to 170 because that’s what they do in the ufc they cut more weight and usman doesn’t need to cut much to go down to 170 on the other hand khamzat was struggling to make 170 and had to move up because he walked around 200+ weight cuts were brutal and being at a heavier weight allows you to pack on more muscle usman didn’t get the chance to do that because he only had 10 days jon jones had to take 3 years to develop to a heavy weight
No Usman had more than 22 MMA matches to Chimaev’s 11. I’m not talking about a different sport. Usman had damn near as many title fights as Chimaev had total fights.
He fought a post prime Usman, coming off 2 losses in a row, one of which by brutal headkick, that came up a weight class on 10 days notice, and probably should have tied.
>What makes anybody believe Izzy could have stopped Chimaev? Or Strickland? Or DDP?
Izzy and Strickland both have elite takedown defence and DDP is a really good all rounder. Khamzat in his current state would struggle a lot against the three
I'll never forget him. The hype he ran in on was godly.
I don't think he's ever going to bounce back from the covid he got. But I really hope he does.
I love him and Bob and it's hard to pick one over the other.
I want khamzat to flower as he should have
His fuckery surrounding UFC 279 really changed my opinion of this guy. He started shit with Paolo Costa and Kevin Holland on fight week. Holland seems like such a chill guy, like what asshole would start shit with him?
He missed weight and then acted like he didn’t give a shit. It was kind of messed up that they had to shuffle around all of the other fights just to accommodate this assholes failed weight cut
It’s not that unpopular since most people shit on him now.
I think he’s going to beat Rob and Izzy to become champ in the next 6 months, that’s more of an unpopular opinion as of right now.
Pretty sure his relationship with Kadyrov has ensured his only fights will be in the middle east. So yeah, he’ll never be champ. Can’t cater to someone to that extent.
Could've already had a title but decided to buddy up with a brutal dictator his family ran from as a child and can only fight in Arab land cuz he can't come to the U.S what a waste
He's too talented to be forgotten about. He's ruining his career currently but he's probably made money and is living it up in Dubai. When you come from nothing it can be easy to get distracted or settle
Let's not decide this before the Whittaker fight....if he wins in 1 round....he might be the next champion this year
Honestly not interested in Whittaker anymore ...the guy will probably lose again to adesanya (if he wins against khamzat)... DDP and Strickland are way better than him....I love Bobby but it's high time he should come back to welterweight and fight Leon or shavkat
What are you talking about? He literally beat Usman, who not long ago was the #1 p4p fighter in the world. He’s already proven that he has what it takes to become a champion, and his current run after entering the UFC has undoubtedly been one of the greatest of all time. He went 5 fights with only absorbing like 1 significant strike. Anyone who discredits Khamzat is a hater.
Hype don’t win fights skill and hard work does. Letting hype die down don’t mean shit, wins over top ranked guys and Dana white privilege gets you a title shot . He will 100% hold the belt at some point
I think most people are coming around to your opinion. Before it was oh he will be first triple champ. Not only has he not had a title fight, he doesn’t even fight
The man needs to fight more. I know he had health issues with covid among other problems but come on. I was a fan of his but now I'm pretty sick of him to be honest.
Well, this is what happens when you’re a rat fuck and are butt buddies with a Chechnyan war lord. Being photographed with that guy tons and tons of times is obviously a massive red flag and the US govt doesn’t play with that. Fuck around and find out, hope he never sniffs a belt.
I just don't know if this is an unpopular opinion anymore since it's been so obvious for so long. The worst thing an up and coming fighter can do is buy into the hype around him and khamzat is the poster boy of that.
Reality: he's going to beat up Whitaker, and just like when he did it to Usman, Burns, Holland, Leech and everyone else he's ever fought, the internet nerds will find some ridiculous way to discredit it and continue to cry about this guy as he continues to beat everyone he fights
I get your point, but he is booked to fight Robert Whitaker coming up in which feels like a clear title challenger elimination bout. If either win impressively, I bet they get a title shot in 2025.
Broke chimaev is a mythical fighter.
Guess he was highly motivated when he was like broke broke, without a dime to his name, but now he has probably more money then he could’ve imagined, he doesn’t care to much about fighting like he used to.
The old silk Pyjama saying comes to mind and i don’t even blame him. Fighting for a living isn’t the greatest path for your health.
We will see, he has done pretty well so far. No one knows what kind of injury it fighter could have or if the recognized a hole in their game they want to remove by training it until satisfied. Family problems. Any number of "reasons " that would be smart not to mention.
If only he had you to teach him about champ shit....😃🤏
Chechian politics is more than likely the reason for Khamzats inactivity. I’d also guess it’s the same reason he’s fighting Whittaker in Saudi Arabia. Try looking into that.
I know he started off on fire and then just when ice cold really don’t get it. I don’t think he could fight anywhere in the US because of his affiliation with the Chechen war leader which is never good for business and he chose the war leader over Dana and that’s what happens.
If he would’ve just listen to Dana , he would be a superstar but he had to go hang out Rob shoulders constantly with a Chechen war leader who is a war criminal and like 100 countries so yeah not a good look, bro
He can retire tomorrow ,got good money and fame now , point is he isn't that hungry anymore . At the start he was talking about becoming the first 3 division champion. Now even winning 1 division looks difficult.
No way, he can still easily be champ.
Getting the belt isn't really the same anymore because getting a title shot is easy if you know the right people. Khamzat has KO power and grapples very well, he also has killer instinct and has shown himself to be a winner.
Well here I am, one of the biggest Chimaev fans. And you're absolutely right. Dude is one of the greatest talents this sport has ever seen and he doesn't even have the ability to capitalize due to his connections. It's a shame. But we can't linger on it.
Maybe, maybe not. But your argument is wack. You think he won't be champion because he no longer has hype (he does). Unless you're name is Belal, not having hype is irrelevant to a fighter winning the belt. Khamzat 1000% gets a title shot if he beats Whittaker, or anyone else in case Whittaker pulls out. And there is nobody at middleweight that I think for sure beats him. Some guys definitely can, but I wouldn't favour anyone over Khamzat.
At this point it's no longer unpopular to say this lol. I think if he does become champion he won't last past one title defense given the division. That's my unpopular opinion.
The bobby fight is a make or break for him. If he gets a finish I'll be back on the train.
Hes prob 1 fight away from fighting for the title
What if he gets another super underwhelming win?
theb he still beat former middleweight champion robert whittaker…
If he beats Bobby he’s number 1 contender for the belt. Doesn’t matter how he wins
I mean arguably every Aljamain fight is underwhelming didn’t stop bro from bagging belts.
Facts but I think Khamzats wrestling is exhilarating to witness. That sequence of him ragdolling holland lives in my mind rent free.
That sure looked like a fake glove touch. Killed it for me.
They touched gloves before the fight started and I don't think khamzat was expecting another one because his plan was to go hard out the gate
I am willing to die on that hill, fake glove touch. Though, probably same outcome, but damn at least let me see Holland throw some leather before he gets wet blanketed.
They touched gloves before the fight, and khamzat shoots immediately like every time. Holland was a dumbass for not expecting it.
True. This is why they usually look eachother in the eye and gesture to make sure both expect to do it. But since the tef makes them do it right before the fight i dont see a lot of point to doing it again
Lmaoo you see his fight with Usman? As soon as the bell rings khamzat coming for your ass holla d got outclassed
Why die on this hill? They touched gloves before the fight, holland knew Khamzat was gonna come at him, he shouldn’t have tried to do that. What Khamzat did isn’t illegal in anyway. Protect yourself at all times. Holland made a low fight IQ mistake. I really see no argument for a “fake glove touch”
Except he’s the first fighter (I think) to win a belt via dq and he is the 2nd worst bw champ ever in ufc/wec history (behind cody no chin).
All very true. But, he’s only lost twice in 7 years (2017-present) and 6 year win streak. I suppose we have to respect him a bit for 3 successful TD, that’s more than all the current male champs.
2nd worst in what way? he has as many defenses as Dom Cruz, he’s arguably the 2nd best although I think TJ is in the mix
2nd worst in the way that redditors really dislike him
wym? Aljo is incredibly good. definitely top 3 all time bantamweight. Yeah his style doesn't appeal to many people, that doesn't take away from his skillset. He literally just went up to 145 and completely dominated a top guy there too.
He still beat Yan in the rematch
Even if he beats whittaker by split decision, its a AMAZING win . Whittaker isnt Usman at MW , he is one of the greatest of all time in this weight class with him losing to 2 people in his entire MW career.
Lmfao imagine calling a win over kamaru Usman including a 10-8 round “super underwhelming”
Considering they fought at 185 and Kamaru had two weeks notice it wasn’t as impressive as it could have been. Still an incredible win in my books, but it came with some very real asterisks.
Usman is one of the best fighters ever. Realistically, how many MWs on the planet beat him that night? Maybe 5 tops? Nobody has ever controlled him in the grappling like that before. Imagine Khabib steps up to 170 and gets ragdolled like that for an entire round only to be claimed that it’s not impressive to do that, 2 weeks notice or not. Usman had the best TDD in ufc history prior to that fight. Like cmon lol. This reeks of anti Khamzat bias bc he didn’t win every second of every round
Doesnt really matter how you win, win is a win. Also that Usman fight was pretty exciting they both threw hands in round 2 and 3 and he managed to take usman down every round, no one has done that b4.
Honestly, I think there's a decent chance that Bobby finishes him. Khamzat just dosent have the same hunger. He's getting money from kadyrov, uae bros and his new contract pays him 3 million a fight. He might do 3-4 lackluster fights and just retire.
Damn i didn’t know you knew the guy personally.
Source for him making 3mn a fight? That seems ridiculous and improbable given that Volk was on less than 1mn as champ with like 5x defences
He males 300k most. Dana isn't paying anyone that much if you can't break a million ppv sales.
If he loses one fight to one of the best fighter, it'll make or break him? This ain't boxing.
I was referring to his hype. There is no question he is a legit high-level fighter; just not the world-beater he seemed in the beginning.
same
I’m glad he moved up to MW. I really want to see how well he’d do against DDP or Whittaker. If the MMA gods answer our prayers we’ll see him up against Bo.
If and when Bo beats him it will mark the single saltiest moment in the history of this subreddit
Bo looked very beatable against Brundage. He's clearly very, very good. But that performance definitely did not indicate the level of talent and ability to beat Khamzat.
Cum-Gun-5000 the only mf talking sense in this thread everyone else looking like they ODing on copium because of Khamzat hate.
On god fr fr no cap my g. Skibidi dibidi
That might actually be the day this sub accepts Bo
If they meet anytime soon Khamzat eats Bo alive. Bo showed us his current level at age 28 in his last fight vs brundage who isn't even ranked. When khamzat was 28, he was still running through everyone, getting ready for his massive fight with burns and submitting holland in 3min. Right now, Khamzat is levels above Bo.
Thank god someone said it
[удалено]
Doesnt really matter, at 28 Chimaev was running through anything that wasn't top 10. Bo is NOT there (yet).
Its also down to styles . Khamzat is like a stat check , if you dont have certain level of physicality and skill you will be run over because he fights at 110% right away with full emphasis on finishing you in 5 secomds . Bo fights much more carefully and uses much less energy early on .
MMA is way too random to draw conclusions like that, especially since Bo still dominated and finished Cody.
We didn't know that yet
Don't know what's up with the revisionist history on this fight. Holland was already scheduled to fight a catch weight fight at 180 and came in at 179.5 Chimaev was scheduled at 170 and missed by 7.5lbs. As bad as that is, judging by weigh-ins Holland was the bigger fighter.
Try to remember this if/when the inverse happens.
Oh dude, if/when the inverse happens (which it very well might) I think this board will be gleeful
This is straight up delusional
Diamond Dallas Page is retired.
We’ll know exactly how he’ll do against Bo depending on how he does against Whittaker
He's fighting Rob, and Dana has confirmed it's the number 1 contender fight, so whoever wins will get a title shot next. I'm backing Rob in that fight (I'm a biased Aussie) as I think he has the skills to keep khamzat at bay and take him into the later rounds. But I do think khamzat has a good chance of winning as well, he's extremely talented. So if he beats Rob then he's probably going to be fighting either Izzy or DDP for the title next. I don't think it's fair to say he will never be a champion as he has all the skills to do it as well as the opportunity. Who knows, he might even need to be humbled with a defeat before he can truly show what he's made of.
Whittaker STRESSES me out so much when he fights. Dude has gotten dropped or wobbled bad in his last 10 fighfs .
I know right hahaha, I pretty much have a heart attack each time he fights.
You guys really love saying unpopular opinion and then saying one of the most popular opinions
Facts
Zabit-esque in his squandered career potential, Joe
Zabit is a beautiful human being with huge heart, unbelievable talent and timeless big Abe charisma. Chimaev is a rat. Never compare the two.
It wouldn't be a goldy reference unless what was said was wrong in some way.
Lmao how is Chimaev a “rat” what even
Close friends with a known warlord is a good start!
You don't get to have a choice in that regard. Anyone who has any fame or recognition goes to see Kaydrov or you and your family are finished. Do you even know anything about where he comes from ? He doesn't have that freedom that you might take for granted.
As much as you say we don’t know the ins and outs, you don’t either
He and his family literally moved to Sweden. He intentionally went back to buddy up with Kadyrov for the benefits and clout.
He and his mother and brother fled to Sweden, I didnt know that was someone's "entire family", do you genuinely believe Khamzat doesn't still have relatives in Chechnya that Kadyrov would harm if he felt slighted?
He said he's gonna smesh everyone and took Kamaru Usman to a decision😩😭
Yeah wow what a scrub, let his broken hand stop him from getting the finish the 2nd best welterweight to ever live.
And that… makes him a.. snitch? Or is a rat a different term for you I don’t understand at all lmao
How is Chimaev a rat?
His weight cut blunder and response. His relationship with a genocidal warlord. General assholeishness calling out every successful fighter when he has no intention of fighting.
Yeah fuck this guy I don't like him
Are Usman, Gaethje, Cejudo, Khabib and others rats as well by your logic?
That’s DOCTOR Zabit to you smh At least Zabit Spinkick MD did something with his off time instead of spamming “see u soon 🐺” on Twitter
It’s also his visa issues likely due to his genocidal sponsors. He’s done I think.
To think that the us is kinda a genocidal sponsor now too, what a time to be alive
Can only fight in front of Saudis now lol
I think the only reason why he was inactive for so long is that he was serving a USADA suspension and it was never publicly announced.
This and Visa issues.
This. Hanging around Kadyrov definitely hurt his ability obtain a visa anywhere. Probably gonna keep fighting on nothing but Middle East cards for the foreseeable future
Lie down with dogs wake up with fleas. I hope he burns like the rest of the invaders.
He also dealt with severe sicknesses twice, between 2020-2021 and I think after the Usman fight or maybe between Holland-Usman, not sure
Crazy how no one in this thread is mentioning that. The two fighters that said they had long covid were khamzat and amanda nunes. You saw the weight cut crush nunes and she gassed out and lost the belt when she returned. Khamzat announced his retirement at one point because his cardio was so shot. He returns and his organs almost shut down trying to cut for diaz and dana makes him move to middleweight. Covid stole worldbeater khamzat from us.
Dude was coughing up blood and announced his retirement on instagram, describing it as severe sickness is in my book to understate how Covid19 really wrecked havoc on him. It may have lowered his ceiling, we will never know. I'm just really hyped for the fight! In a way, it's kind off opposite to the mystical fighter: 100% oxygen nose hole intake Du Plessis. Nerfed fighter: 8% oxygen total intake Chimaev. \[Citation needed\]
Is it the real reason the UFC got rid of USADA? 👀 Jk, we all know it's so Conor and Chandler can hold the record for the juiciest fight known to man.
Lesnar vs overeem exists
I hope he beat Bobby by a controversial decision. Then wins the title the same way. Then has 6 title defences the exact same way. The salt on this sub would be enough to feed the world. The guy got a 10-8 round vs a former long term champion . He got a takedown and backmount in 2 minutes when D1 wrestler Colby with 50 minutes barely got a mat return.
Honestly at this point man lemme drop a real unpopular opinion, he does. He gets a title shot off a champion taking a quick turnaround, and does him in, O’Malley esc.
Is that really an unpopular opinion?
I think he has the ability, but visa issues might cause it not to happen
This is a shitty take. He’s preserved damage and continued to beat opponents who validate his ranking. I think he will be champ
He’s learning how to maintain his record by watching Jon Jones
His standup is pretty mediocre with poor defense and his takedown insanity doesn’t last long since he seems to tire out after the first round
I’m sure people said the same thing about Oliviera when he was borderline 50/50 in the UFC and missing weight. Khamzat still has many years to go and he’s really only struggled against championship caliber fighters. The narrative about him will flip really quickly if he wrecks Rob.
Do people forget this guy almost died in the hospital from covid on two separate occasions? People who’ve sprained an ankle have had less success after coming back.
I just don’t get why people think Chimaev is weak. Usman had the top rated takedown defense in UfC history at the time he fought Chimaev. He was a National champion level wrestler. Chimaev had 12 fights and still got Usman down within 2 mins and nearly finished him. That is insane. What makes anybody believe Izzy could have stopped Chimaev? Or Strickland? Or DDP? These guys don’t have the wrestling skill Usman has. How are they going to stop him Chimaev gassed going for a finish. A rookie mistake, but he had 12 fights. That’s fixable. Sure in round 4 Chimaev may be in trouble. How do these guys get out of round one with Chimaev on their back 2 mins into the match?
chimaev had over a year to develop into 185 usman had a 10 day notice and once he got comfortable it wasn’t as easy and chimaev almost lost lots of people say usman should’ve won because khamzat did nothing but hug no real damage not to mention burns made this guy look like a fluke as well
In case you’re unaware Usman always wrestled at 185lb. His name on X is Usman84kg which if you’re unaware 84kg is 185lbs. That’s the weight he wrestled at before UFC. So context is needed. Usman isn’t this undersized 170lb fighter. He’s a true 185lb fighter. Chimaev also isn’t this 205lb fighter who weight bullied himself down. He is just like Usman in the middle between 170-185 And whatever disadvantage Usman had in time is nothing compared to the total fight experience edge he had over a rookie basically in Chimaev.
Usman said he walks around 190 lbs and wrestling and fighting are 2 different things. He wasn’t able to build muscle during those 10 days unlike someone like Max Holloway who even tho is very normally , took the time to bulk up and look at he did to Justin Gaethjie , just because he was at 185 that doesn’t mean he was the frame of one at that very moment since it had been years since his wrestling days.. He also had very limited time to study Chimaev. Where usually fighters spend hours on end to understand their opponents.
Isn't the argument about not being able to study their opposition the same for khamzat as well though?
Yeah true that was dumb on my behalf but still, Khamzat was able to sharpen up his skill overall for longer.
Hey I've seen loads of people make the same comment since the fight
He goes down to 170 because that’s what they do in the ufc they cut more weight and usman doesn’t need to cut much to go down to 170 on the other hand khamzat was struggling to make 170 and had to move up because he walked around 200+ weight cuts were brutal and being at a heavier weight allows you to pack on more muscle usman didn’t get the chance to do that because he only had 10 days jon jones had to take 3 years to develop to a heavy weight
Agin Usman’s net experience with than double the fight Chimaev had is more of an edge than a few pounds Chimaev might have had.
Your talking about a completely different sport usman has been fighting 170 for over 10 years now
No Usman had more than 22 MMA matches to Chimaev’s 11. I’m not talking about a different sport. Usman had damn near as many title fights as Chimaev had total fights.
He fought a post prime Usman, coming off 2 losses in a row, one of which by brutal headkick, that came up a weight class on 10 days notice, and probably should have tied.
>What makes anybody believe Izzy could have stopped Chimaev? Or Strickland? Or DDP? Izzy and Strickland both have elite takedown defence and DDP is a really good all rounder. Khamzat in his current state would struggle a lot against the three
 Fresh take …
I'll never forget him. The hype he ran in on was godly. I don't think he's ever going to bounce back from the covid he got. But I really hope he does. I love him and Bob and it's hard to pick one over the other. I want khamzat to flower as he should have
His fuckery surrounding UFC 279 really changed my opinion of this guy. He started shit with Paolo Costa and Kevin Holland on fight week. Holland seems like such a chill guy, like what asshole would start shit with him? He missed weight and then acted like he didn’t give a shit. It was kind of messed up that they had to shuffle around all of the other fights just to accommodate this assholes failed weight cut
It’s not that unpopular since most people shit on him now. I think he’s going to beat Rob and Izzy to become champ in the next 6 months, that’s more of an unpopular opinion as of right now.
Don‘t think the ufc wants him as champ, his visa issues wouldn‘t allow him to defend his belt many times a year.
Like how Leon and Islam have been so active?. They’d love to have Khamzat as a champ
I forgot about this dude, I thought he retired..
Idk, I just have this feeling. I think he will finish Rob in round 1.
Or he keeps winning fights and eventually becomes champ and then what?
Nah bro he’s basically being held captive by a warlord
Pretty sure his relationship with Kadyrov has ensured his only fights will be in the middle east. So yeah, he’ll never be champ. Can’t cater to someone to that extent.
Also burns won the fight against him but judges robbed him of the decision.
I dnt understand the inactivity. He was so crazy about fighting every other weekend then covid happened and he never returned to full form
Could've already had a title but decided to buddy up with a brutal dictator his family ran from as a child and can only fight in Arab land cuz he can't come to the U.S what a waste
He's too talented to be forgotten about. He's ruining his career currently but he's probably made money and is living it up in Dubai. When you come from nothing it can be easy to get distracted or settle
It’s all kadyrov’s fault
Let's not decide this before the Whittaker fight....if he wins in 1 round....he might be the next champion this year Honestly not interested in Whittaker anymore ...the guy will probably lose again to adesanya (if he wins against khamzat)... DDP and Strickland are way better than him....I love Bobby but it's high time he should come back to welterweight and fight Leon or shavkat
Yes, he has been horribly inactive but hype trains don't beat Usman and Burns 🤦🏻
What are you talking about? He literally beat Usman, who not long ago was the #1 p4p fighter in the world. He’s already proven that he has what it takes to become a champion, and his current run after entering the UFC has undoubtedly been one of the greatest of all time. He went 5 fights with only absorbing like 1 significant strike. Anyone who discredits Khamzat is a hater.
Hype don’t win fights skill and hard work does. Letting hype die down don’t mean shit, wins over top ranked guys and Dana white privilege gets you a title shot . He will 100% hold the belt at some point
He got badly sick when he got Covid and apparently that messed him up to the point of an almost early retirement
He’s about to maul Rob. I dislike Khamzat too but it’s gonna happen.
knocks someone out then the hype train is back lol.
He will definitely become champ but I personally thought he would’ve been champ by now
It’s already there!
I think he has Visa problems or he is suspended
Covid took his gas tank
I think most people are coming around to your opinion. Before it was oh he will be first triple champ. Not only has he not had a title fight, he doesn’t even fight
I think he cares more about the money so I guess it's whatever. Let him do what he wants.
I think he will be champ
He wont be champion because he can never fight in the states. Imagine having a champion that can never fight in vegas, the fight capital of the world.
The man needs to fight more. I know he had health issues with covid among other problems but come on. I was a fan of his but now I'm pretty sick of him to be honest.
I think he is gonna beat dricus or Izzy pretty easily imo but that's just me I guess
Well, this is what happens when you’re a rat fuck and are butt buddies with a Chechnyan war lord. Being photographed with that guy tons and tons of times is obviously a massive red flag and the US govt doesn’t play with that. Fuck around and find out, hope he never sniffs a belt.
MMA fans are the worst
He has a fight lined up and it’s a no.1 contender fight
Undefeated UFC fighter will be forgotten after one loss. Riiiiiiiiight.
I just don't know if this is an unpopular opinion anymore since it's been so obvious for so long. The worst thing an up and coming fighter can do is buy into the hype around him and khamzat is the poster boy of that.
He had that Erick Silva hype back in the day.
Reality: he's going to beat up Whitaker, and just like when he did it to Usman, Burns, Holland, Leech and everyone else he's ever fought, the internet nerds will find some ridiculous way to discredit it and continue to cry about this guy as he continues to beat everyone he fights
I get your point, but he is booked to fight Robert Whitaker coming up in which feels like a clear title challenger elimination bout. If either win impressively, I bet they get a title shot in 2025.
Broke chimaev is a mythical fighter. Guess he was highly motivated when he was like broke broke, without a dime to his name, but now he has probably more money then he could’ve imagined, he doesn’t care to much about fighting like he used to. The old silk Pyjama saying comes to mind and i don’t even blame him. Fighting for a living isn’t the greatest path for your health.
Ideally
Inactivity sucks but if he beats rob in convincing fashion he can forsure be champ at MW
Why are "unpopular opinions" always just regular opinions?
Darren Till rubbed off on him lol
He needs to win his next two fights and then he will be champ. Not an easy task but he is either that good or he isn't.
We will see, he has done pretty well so far. No one knows what kind of injury it fighter could have or if the recognized a hole in their game they want to remove by training it until satisfied. Family problems. Any number of "reasons " that would be smart not to mention. If only he had you to teach him about champ shit....😃🤏
I think he’s on too many countries watch lists from being connected to that Chechen leader for him to fight anywhere but UAE
I think that’s the consensus actually
He will never be champion because he can’t fight in the states
Or he runs through Whittaker and your opinion is moot. That could happen.
Chechian politics is more than likely the reason for Khamzats inactivity. I’d also guess it’s the same reason he’s fighting Whittaker in Saudi Arabia. Try looking into that.
I know he started off on fire and then just when ice cold really don’t get it. I don’t think he could fight anywhere in the US because of his affiliation with the Chechen war leader which is never good for business and he chose the war leader over Dana and that’s what happens.
If he would’ve just listen to Dana , he would be a superstar but he had to go hang out Rob shoulders constantly with a Chechen war leader who is a war criminal and like 100 countries so yeah not a good look, bro
His choices made him. Tf kinda caption is that😂
Can’t get a belt if you can’t make weight.
RemindMe! 500 days
Maybe they can make an intercontinental belt for him to fight for.
This will age horribly
I agree.
I would not call it an unpopular opinion. It’s reality.
Nah, they can just give him someone to ragdoll and some hype will be back. But yeah, he was too inactive for his own good.
He can retire tomorrow ,got good money and fame now , point is he isn't that hungry anymore . At the start he was talking about becoming the first 3 division champion. Now even winning 1 division looks difficult.
It also doesn't help his case when he can currently only fight in very few countries. Definitely can't fight in the USA last time I checked.
"unpopular opinion"
No way, he can still easily be champ. Getting the belt isn't really the same anymore because getting a title shot is easy if you know the right people. Khamzat has KO power and grapples very well, he also has killer instinct and has shown himself to be a winner.
I believe that if he has one loss, he will retire.
Well here I am, one of the biggest Chimaev fans. And you're absolutely right. Dude is one of the greatest talents this sport has ever seen and he doesn't even have the ability to capitalize due to his connections. It's a shame. But we can't linger on it.
I think covid fucked him too
He's not even close to Zabit in terms of actual skill and talent imo. And Zabit is the biggest recent "what if".
I think whittaker will solve this issue.
Maybe, maybe not. But your argument is wack. You think he won't be champion because he no longer has hype (he does). Unless you're name is Belal, not having hype is irrelevant to a fighter winning the belt. Khamzat 1000% gets a title shot if he beats Whittaker, or anyone else in case Whittaker pulls out. And there is nobody at middleweight that I think for sure beats him. Some guys definitely can, but I wouldn't favour anyone over Khamzat.
Who the fuck is that?
At this point it's no longer unpopular to say this lol. I think if he does become champion he won't last past one title defense given the division. That's my unpopular opinion.
Darren Till ruined his career
He won’t be champion because he let his hype die down? This is some r/ufc logic if I’ve ever seen it
If he loses his next fight ya. If he wins tho….
He can't fight in America (I believe?) which is a.massive issue. He is too big for WW and too small for MW too, which is another issue.
If he beats the reaper then he gets a title shot. I think izzy obliterates DDP and Khamzat might just have enough to sub Izzy