Kamaru Usman doesn't have the 'capability' to dominate Khamzat Chimaev with his wrestling, claims Anthony Smith
Khamzat Chimaev has the potential to win UFC titles in multiple divisions. 'Borz' has competed in the welterweight and middleweight divisions, and has found success in both.
Chimaev's last bout was scheduled to be against Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 279. But disaster struck when 'Borz' missed weight by over 7 pounds, forcing a re-shuffling of the card. His weight miss has led to questions about whether Chimaev should stay at welterweight or move to middleweight.
Those questions were swiftly put to rest when Khamzat Chimaev called out Kamaru Usman for a fight. The pair have since exchanged words online, and it appears that the UFC are eager to schedule the bout.
UFC veteran Anthony Smith believes that it would be a tough ask for Usman to overcome, given the stylistic matchup. He said this:
"That's a tough fight for Kamaru if I'm just being very honest and fair with my analysis. I think what he does well kind of fits right into Khamzat's game. I think maybe a younger, less beat-up Kamaru, I think that fight is a little bit different. He's not as much of a wrestler as he used to be. He used to chase the takedown relentlessly. I don't think he even has the capability to really do that anymore just with his knees and some of that stuff."
See the post below:
Kamaru Usman has suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in his career, both coming at the hands of Leon Edwards.
A win against Khamzat Chimaev, one of the most promising talents to grace the octagon in the past five years, would put Usman right back in the title picture.
Khamzat Chimaev claims he could beat Israel Adesanya without throwing strikes
Khamzat Chimaev is an immensely talented grappler with a relentless cardiovascular system. Together, these attributes have provided a foundation that 'Borz' has used to dominate every opponent he has faced inside the cage, with the exception of Gilbert Burns.
During a recent interview, Chimaev claimed that the UFC are protecting middleweight champion Israel Adesanya from him. 'Borz' believes that he would be able to defeat Adesanya without throwing a strike, and said this:
"The fans want to see me and Israel [Adesanya]. Yeah I'm a bad matchup for him, everyone knows that he's gonna lose the title. That's why they save that guy. They built him up, they don't want him to lose. [I would] finish that guy without punches and that's why [the UFC] are scared"
Watch the video below:
Khamzat Chimaev says UFC is protecting Israel Adesanya from him https://t.co/a7zvmbJkd9