"He is tailor-made for your average UFC fan" - Dan Lambert explains why Khamzat Chimaev might not be "the goose that lays the golden egg" for UFC in the middle-eastÂ
American Top Team (ATT) founder Dan Lambert recently weighed in on Khamzat Chimaev's popularity in the UFC.
In a recent episode of the Punchin' In podcast, Dan Lambert discussed how Khamzat Chimaev might struggle to sell pay-per-views in the Middle East. Lambert suggested that Middle Easterners may feel that 'Borz' "doesn't represent" their culture or people, and thus prefer Islam Makhachev, who appears to be more "conservative."
However, the ATT founder stated that Chimaev is "tailor-made" for UFC audiences outside of the Middle-East, as he possesses all of the necessary skills to be a UFC star.
Giving his take on Khamzat Chimaev, Dan Lambert said:
"Even if he isn't going to be the goose that lays the golden egg over there in the middle east as far as getting big money from those guys. He is going to sell over here because he is tailor-made for your average UFC fan that loves that s***t and by the average UFC fan that loves that s**t, I mean people like me...The guy's awesome."
Check out the latest episode of the Punchin' In podcast below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov is a bigger draw than Islam Makhachev according to ATT founder Dan Lambert
In the same episode, Dan Lambert also discussed Islam Makhachev and compared him to UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, termed the former a "boring" fighter for not indulging in any sort of call-outs or thrash talks. The coach also claimed that the nature of the fighter will result in a lesser "draw" during his fights.
Comparing Makhachev to Nurmagomedov, Lambert pointed out that while 'The Eagle' had a relatively uncontroversial early career, the former champion did engage in trash-talking and call-outs. This includes his infamous altercation with UFC poster boy Conor McGregor, which catapulted the Dagestani to the forefront of the promotion.
The ATT coach said:
"I don't think Islam is going to be a huge draw because he is a little boring... Khabib had the benefit of getting a little better as he went. You know beating up Michael Johnson, you know coming out with the wig, he was the first guy to get that over. But the Conor McGregor... that's what made him a star was Conor."
"So, Islam doesn't have that. He doesn't seem to have the personality that Khabib developed to talk s**t... Khabib was a huge star plus the Conor thing blew him up. Islam doesn't have that. He's a little boring."
You can check out the Dan Lambert's discuss Islam Makhachev below: