Khamzat Chimaev and Luke Rockhold go to war in grappling match during Russian spin-off of 'The Ultimate Fighter'
Khamzat Chimaev is regarded as arguably the best grappler in the middleweight division right now, and he recently showcased those skills against Luke Rockhold on 'Hardcore Fighting Reality Show'. The series is a Russian spin-off of the UFC's 'The Ultimate Fighter'.
During a grappling training session, the former UFC champion and current No.12-ranked middleweight engaged in a five-minute submission grappling match. Chimaev dominated much of the match, submitting Rockhold with what appeared to be a variation of a bicep slicer.
Watch Khamzat Chimaev and Luke Rockhold grapple below (23:40):
It is worth noting that Rockhold recently competed at the Craig Jones Invitational. According to reports, he suffered a back injury in preparation for the competition, which could have affected his ability against 'Borz'.
The American is regarded as one of the best submission grapplers the middleweight division has seen. But Chimaev is a force to be reckoned with and proved it once again against Rockhold.
Robert Whittaker says his bout with Khamzat Chimaev is an "obvious" title eliminator
Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev were scheduled to face off in a highly anticipated main event clash at UFC Saudi Arabia in June. But disaster befell the surging Chechen as he was forced out of the bout due to severe illness roughly one week before fight night.
'The Reaper' accepted a short-notice fight with Ikram Aliskerov, who replaced Chimaev. The former middleweight champion was on top form on the night, as he knocked Aliskerov out less than two minutes into Round 1.
Whittaker has now been paired up against 'Borz' for a second time, with the clash scheduled to take place as part of an incredible UFC 308 card in October.
Ahead of the fight, the 33-year-old was interviewed by mainevent, where he was asked if his upcoming fight with Chimaev was a middleweight title eliminator. 'The Reaper' said this:
"Certainly, everybody knows. Everyone can see it, it's obvious."
Watch Robert Whittaker's discuss the Khamzat Chimaev fight below (3:55):
Prior to Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya, which took place on 17 Aug. at UFC 305, CEO Dana White confirmed that Sean Strickland would face the winner of the middleweight title fight.
But a strong performance from either Whittaker or Chimaev could certainly persuade matchmakers to hand them a title shot instead.