Khamzat Chimaev praised by UFC veteran Joe Lauzon for Gilbert Burns fight - "I'm more impressed now than I was before"
Joe Lauzon was impressed by Khamzat Chimaev after the Russian-born Swede's memorable UFC 273 battle against Gilbert Burns. While 'J-Lau' commended the stellar start to Chimaev's UFC career, he believes 'Borz' has proven his ability to fight in deep waters after beating Burns.
Several questions were raised about Chimaev's hype after he fought tooth and nail to reel in a tight decision against 'Durinho' in a battle for the ages. However, Lauzon commended 'Borz' for passing the toughest test of his career. The 37-year-old recently told James Lynch in an exclusive interview for Sportskeeda MMA:
"He's a monster, I'm more impressed now than I was before. You know, obviously it's great, he's been punched three times in four fights or whatever it was. But everyone kept saying, 'Oh when he gets in deep waters, he's gonna have trouble.' Like I didn't know what was gonna happen the first time Gilbert Burns hit him with a punch... Is he gonna be fine, is he gonna be okay, is he gonna drop down and get dropped and have trouble? You know, Gilbert Burns cracked him a couple of times and he recovered, no problem."
Watch Joe Lauzon's interview with Sportskeeda MMA below:
Khamzat Chimaev absorbed a single significant strike in four UFC outings before he faced Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. The Brazilian landed 119 significant strikes on 'Borz', testing him to his limit. Nevertheless, Chimaev lived up to his hype, doing enough to earn a decision win against the durable Burns.
Joe Lauzon reveals why fight with Donald Cerrone was moved to UFC 274
Joe Lauzon was originally scheduled to face fellow veteran Donald Cerrone at a UFC Fight Night event on April 30. The fight was, however, rebooked for the UFC 274 pay-per-view, which is set to go down at the Footprint Center in Pheoniz, Arizona, on May 7.
Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone will now face each other on May 7, sources confirmed to @bokamotoESPN. https://t.co/qOLI5iI3xW
Lauzon also revealed the reason behind the postponement of the bout. According to 'J-Lau', both he and Cerrone wanted to fight somewhere other than the UFC Apex in what could potentially be the last bout of their careers. The 37-year-old further told Sportskeeda MMA:
"So 'Cowboy' and I both did not want to fight at the Apex. It could be... f***, last fight for both of us, last fight for me, last fight for him, who knows? We're are both fan favorites, it definitely is a fight that should be in front of a crowd."
While they are true veterans of the sport, Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone are undeniably past their prime. Lauzon hasn't competed in over two years and went 2-4 in his last six outings. Meanwhile, 'Cowboy' has dropped five of his last six, which included a no contest.