Khamzat Chimaev’s teammate, Caio Borralho, pinpoints the key to beating ‘Borz’ following Robert Whittaker win at UFC 308
Khamzat Chimaev's first-round submission win over Robert Whittaker sent a serious statement of intent to the rest of the middleweight division. Fighting after more than a year, 'Borz' looked better than ever as he handed the former champion his first submission loss in the UFC.
There have since been calls for the Chechen-born fighter to leapfrog Sean Strickland as the No.1 contender for Dricus du Plessis' title. But the promotion has not indicated their plans as of yet.
Close training partner of Chimaev, No.6-ranked middleweight contender Caio Borralho, recently broke down the keys to beating the 30-year-old's style.
The Brazilian was interviewed by Submission Radio following UFC 308, where he said:
"It's not an easy task to beat Khamzat. He's very athletic, very good, his wrestling is on point all the time. The key to beating him is to know how to defend his takedowns, to know his patterns before he shoots for a takedown. Because whenever he shoots it's almost already gone. So you need to know his patterns and how he prepares himself before he shoots a takedown. If he grabs you, you need to know what his next step is and what he wants you to do, so you don't do what he wants."
Check out Caio Borralho's comments on Khamzat Chimaev below (2:30):
Khamzat Chimaev in no hurry to fight for the title next
Khamzat Chimaev secured a massive victory over Robert Whittaker in UFC 308's co-main event which saw him rise 10 spots in the middleweight division's top 15 rankings.
He now occupies the No.3 position, and given his strong performance against 'The Reaper', there are calls for him to fight Dricus du Plessis next over Sean Strickland.
The lack of damage he absorbed against Whittaker means that a short turnaround time would be viable for him. But during an interview with ESPN MMA following his recent win, the 30-year-old did not appear in a rush to secure a coveted UFC title shot. He said:
"I don't care, I will wait. For me it doesn't matter, Sean or Dricus or [Israel Adesanya], it doesn't matter. Give me the money and the belt, I am fighting for money and for the belt."
Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments below (4:15):