"This was all-out war" - Khamzat Chimaev’s coach Andreas Michael compares the Jon Jones-Alexander Gustafsson fight to Chimaev's bout with Gilbert Burns
Andreas Michael has compared the UFC 273 battle between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns to the classic between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson in 2013.
Chimaev and Burns featured in a barnburner at UFC 273, where 'Borz' prevailed over 'Durinho' via a unanimous decision. The fight has received immense praise from fans and critics alike, who already feel it is a 'Fight of the Year' contender.
Jones faced Gustafsson at UFC 165 in 2013. The fight was back-and-forth, much like the Burns vs. Chimaev contest. 'Bones' won via unanimous decision in a match that was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame's Fight Wing in July 2020.
In an interview with ESPN MMA, Chimaev's coach Michael compared the recent bout to the legendary clash nine years ago:
"The fight with Alex and Jon was a little more technical. It was a brawl [and] both guys got a beating, but it was more technical. This [Chimaev vs. Burns] was just an all-out war, which we were training not to have. Six weeks, I came in before that. We were working on the technique, working on the jab, something that could have been so simple."
Watch Andreas Michael's interview with ESPN MMA below:
Gilbert Burns wants to rematch Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round contest
Gilbert Burns hopes that Khamzat Chimaev will show him the respect he deserves by granting him a rematch.
According to Burns, he accepted the fight against Chimaev as he wanted to challenge himself facing the scariest fighter in the division. The Brazilian, though, wanted to truly test Chimaev and wanted the fight to be for five rounds.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, 'Durinho' said:
"I requested it a couple of times, Ali [Abdelaziz, his manager] too. I don’t know if because of the two title fights maybe, I don’t know. I didn’t get an answer. The way I see it, we’ve got to do it again. It’s got to be five rounds next. A lot of respect to Khamzat." [h/t: MMA Fighting]
While he didn’t feel robbed by the decision, Burns still thinks like he has unfinished business with Chimaev. He wanted a definitive ending and neither of them got that.