"Some young kid that's ragdolling Ilir Latifi" - Anthony Smith recounts hearing about Khamzat Chimaev years before he was signed to the UFC

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Anthony Smith (left) and Khamzat Chimaev (right) [Image credits: @lionheartsmith and @ufc on Instagram]

Anthony Smith has revealed he was aware of Khamzat Chimaev years before the 27-year-old signed with the UFC.

'Lionheart' recently made an appearance on Michael Bisping's Believe You Me podcast. At one point during the conversation, Smith spoke about the stories he had heard of 'Borz' ragdolling UFC heavyweight Ilir Latifi in training prior to the Chechen-born Swede's debut on MMA's biggest stage.

"Other people said it first, so now I can say it out loud. I've heard the stories of Chimaev for years, like a couple years before he was even in the UFC. I remember hearing his name, some young kid that's ragdolling Ilir Latifi and Gustafsson down in Sweden. Even when he finally made it to the UFC, beat a couple of guys and looked really good, I kept that to myself until other people had told the story like, 'Hey man, I've been hearing the stories about this kid beating the s**t out of those guys for a long time,'" said Anthony Smith.

Catch the full episode of the podcast below:

Chimaev currently trains with UFC light heavyweights Ilir Latifi and Alexander Gustafsson at the Allstars Training Center in Stockholm, Sweden.

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Alexander Gustafsson believes Khamzat Chimaev can defeat Kamaru Usman

Former UFC title challenger Alexander Gustafsson recently sat down for an interview with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto. During the interaction, 'The Mauler' stated that Khamzat Chimaev is capable of knocking out Kamaru Usman.

"I think he'd [Khamzat Chimaev] put Kamaru Usman to sleep honestly. I think if he just touches his chin, it's a big chance that Kamaru, Kamaru Usman goes to sleep. I like Kamaru Usman, he's a great champ and he's just been breaking records and like you know, it's a pleasure to see him fight because he's a very good technical, you know I love his jab and his wrestling and you can see that he's on top, Kamaru Usman. But I just can't see him take Khamzat's punches," said Alexander Gustafsson.

Catch the full interview below:

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