"I don't think he's going to have the same resistance at 185" - Chael Sonnen believes Khamzat Chimaev will have a harder time beating Kamaru Usman than Israel Adesanya
Chael Sonnen believes Khamzat Chimaev would have an easier path to a title against Israel Adesanya than he will with Kamaru Usman.
Chimaev is rapidly rising through the welterweight ranks as he continues to breeze through his opponents. Sonnen is convinced that Chimaev is a future 170-pound champion, but predicts winning gold would come easier for him at middleweight.
According to Sonnen, the Chechen-born Swede is "better suited" to deal with a striker like Adesanya than he is against a wrestler like Usman. In a video uploaded to Sonnen's YouTube channel, the former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger said:
"I think if I asked you to lay out a path to get Chimaev just to the title fight at 170, I think you could do it... You better believe, at 185, there's a shortcut. Very fast! There appears to be a myth and a belief by somebody – it's not me – that Chimaev is not the size to go 185 even when in his time in 185, he's undefeated there."
'The American Gangster' added that Chimaev is destined for superstardom. He then claimed that, based on Google analytics, Chimaev is the most talked about UFC fighter who isn't a champion.
Watch Chael Sonnen's take on Khamzat Chimaev's career trajectory below:
Dana White claims UFC fighters are afraid of Khamzat Chimaev
UFC president Dana White recently suggested that several fighters on his promotion's roster are "100 percent" afraid of Khamzat Chimaev. During a recent episode of The Jim Rome Podcast, the UFC boss said:
"Nobody wants to fight this guy. Everybody wants to get out on social media and say this or say that. But when it really comes down to it, nobody’s trying to fight Khamzat Chimaev. I don’t blame them. But at the end of the day when you’re a professional fighter – this is what you do – you should look at a guy with as much hype and as much bravado as Chimaev has, as a huge opportunity."
It's undeniable that Chimaev is one of the most feared fighters in the UFC and for good reason. After four fights in the octagon, Chimaev has only been hit once and has dismantled his opponents in two rounds or less.
In his last outing at UFC 267, 'Borz' dominated Li Jingliang, submitting the Chinese contender in the first round via rear-naked choke.
Catch Dana White discussing Khamzat Chimaev on the Jim Rome Podcast below: