Khamzat Chimaev may have trouble at middleweight, but would succeed more against Israel Adesanya than Kamaru Usman - Arnold Allen
Arnold Allen believes Khamzat Chimaev has the potential to fight for the world championship title in multiple divisions in the UFC. According to the No.6-ranked featherweight contender, 'Borz' has a better chance of beating middleweight champ Israel Adesanya than welterweight king Kamaru Usman.
Although he believes the welterweight division is better suited for the Chechen-born Swede, Allen claims that Chimaev has a better chance of defeating the reigning champ at 185 pounds.
Allen feels that while Chimaev might struggle against 'The Last Stylebender's standup in a potential clash, 'Borz' could dominate the fight with his superior wrestling. Against an experienced grappler like Usman, the Englishman believes that Chimaev would struggle to impose his wrestling game, as was evident in his recent fight with Gilbert Burns.
During an interaction with Sky Sports, Arnold Allen said:
"I think maybe there's more success against someone like Israel than Usman with the wrestling advantage, yeah, I don't think he would struggle. His wrestling is elite but, yeah, if he gets in a stand-up match with Adesanya, I think he gets caught a lot."
Watch the interview below:
Arnold Allen believes Kamaru Usman will gain confidence from watching Khamzat Chimaev's fight with Gilbert Burns
Arnold Allen believes that Kamaru Usman will feel even more confident about his chances of defending the title in a potential clash against Khamzat Chimaev after watching the Chechen-born Swede's fight against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273.
Chimaev and Burns engaged in a three-round slugfest this past weekend, which 'Borz' ended up winning via unanimous decision after being pushed to the limit.
@GilbertDurinho @KChimaevOne of the craziest fights I’ve ever seen live… 👏 @GilbertDurinho @KChimaev https://t.co/5PRrHNitrp
Prior to this fight, Chimaev seemed untouchable inside the cage and his vulnerabilities were unknown. Allen feels the fight will provide Usman with the blueprint to subdue the Chimaev in a potential clash.
"I feel like he's probably pretty confident because it did kind of take away a bit of the mystique you know. A lot of the questions were answered, you know, you can be hurt, you know you've been dropped, you've been wobbled [from the] shots. He's shown where he's had issues. Before, there was nothing, like you've never seen him sort of in a scramble let alone getting dropped so yeah, I think it is a confidence booster for someone like Usman."
Khamzat Chimaev could potentially fight top-ranked contender Colby Covington next, while Kamaru Usman is expected to defend the title against Leon Edwards this summer.
Who wins that? 🤔
Dana White says if Khamzat Chimaev beats Burns, we’ll see him fight Colby Covington next 👀 Who wins that? 🤔 https://t.co/DCSZJhiQNe