Exclusive: Should Khamzat Chimaev be seriously considered as a middleweight contender? Jack Hermansson comments from experience of wrestling match
Jack Hermansson recently shared his thoughts on how Khamzat Chimaev would perform at middleweight.
Hermansson is set to face Joe Pyfer in an exciting 185-pound contest at UFC Vegas 86 this weekend. 'The Joker' is coming off a second-round knockout loss against Roman Dolidze at UFC Orlando in December 2022. He's 2-3 in his last five outings and has a professional record of 23-8.
Ahead of his fight against Pyfer, Hermansson weighed in on Chimaev returning to compete at 185 pounds and shared his thoughts on how 'Borz' would fare. Interestingly, the Swedish native fought Chimaev in a freestyle wrestling match in November 2021 at Bulldog Fight Night 9, losing 8–0 on points.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Hermansson stated that 'Borz' has the required skills to hold his own in the UFC's middleweight division and said:
"I did a wrestling match with Khamzat and I trained with him several times. He's definitely up there skill-wise, and no doubt he can be great... But I can agree that he hasn't been tested in this division yet. He's only had one fight against a proper middleweight, which is Gerald Meerschaert, so I can understand people want to see him against a few more opponents before he gets a title shot."
Catch Jack Hermansson's comments below (4:43):
Dricus du Plessis dismisses giving Khamzat Chimaev a title shot anytime soon
Dricus du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland last month to claim the UFC middleweight title at UFC 297. After a five-round closely contested fight, 'Stillknocks' got his hand raised via split decision.
In the aftermath, Khamzat Chimaev declared that he was down to challenge du Plessis for the title at the milestone UFC 300 event. However, it appears the new 185-pound king isn't keen on giving 'Borz' that opportunity.
During a post-fight press conference, the South African fighter was informed about Chimaev's social media call-out, to which he replied:
"Yeah, but he said that to Jon Jones. I mean, who takes that guy seriously anyway?
Chimaev is coming off a majority decision win over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who moved up a weight class to fight the Chechnya native at middleweight on short notice. 'Borz' was originally booked against Paulo Costa, but the Brazilian was forced out of the bout due to a bursitis complication.
Chimaev has a perfect 13-0 record in mixed martial arts and is widely considered among the most dangerous grapplers in the promotion. However, only time will tell if his time in the middleweight division proves to be fruitful for him.