Michael Bisping on a potential Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington fight; reveals who he wants Gilbert Burns to fight next
Michael Bisping has weighed in on a potential fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington. Taking to his YouTube channel, ‘The Count’ asserted that he’d love to see a Chimaev-Covington matchup next.
Chimaev recently secured the biggest victory of his MMA career, defeating Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision in a back-and-forth slugfest at UFC 273 on April 9th. Addressing the same, Bisping indicated that the UFC ought to book Burns in another high-profile fight.
last night!This was WAR 💥
@KChimaev and @GilbertDurinho brought the 🔥 last night! https://t.co/LMklFEpYCX
The former UFC middleweight champion believes that Burns should be given the opportunity to fight MMA megastar Jorge Masvidal next. Meanwhile, breaking down a possible Chimaev-Covington fight, Michael Bisping stated:
“Size-wise? Khamzat. Wrestling credentials? Well, credentials go to Colby, but Khamzat may be able to win a wrestling match just simply because he was a Swedish wrestling champion. He is a very good wrestler, but he’s also bigger. Size and strength does matter in a sport like wrestling."
"Striking-wise, again, Khamzat’s taller, and he’s longer. And if he develops a game plan, then maybe we could see him get the striking advantage. Experience goes to Colby Covington, without question. Conditioning and pace? They’ve both got good conditioning and pace, but Colby’s is on another level, so we’ll give him the advantage there.”
Additionally, Bisping explained that Khamzat Chimaev’s fight against Gilbert Burns showed that Chimaev, akin to every other fighter, is human. He insinuated that ‘Borz’ had this aura of invincibility, but Burns dropped him and almost stopped him in their fight.
On that note, ‘The Count’ suggested that Burns’ UFC 273 performance proved that there are fighters who could stop the MMA wunderkind that is Chimaev.
Watch Michael Bisping break down a potential Chimaev-Covington fight in the video below:
Khamzat Chimaev on his return and a fight against Colby Covington
In the aftermath of his grueling fight against Gilbert Burns, Khamzat Chimaev appeared on ESPN MMA’s UFC 273 Post Show and provided a timeline for his return. Vowing to return at the earliest, ‘Borz’ said:
“I have to go back and fix my eyes. And when it’s finished, when my face is good, I’m gonna start spar. And how fast is possible, I’ll be back.”
When asked whether he’d be willing to face the No. 1-ranked UFC welterweight Colby Covington in three-to-four months, the undefeated Chechnya-born Swedish fighter claimed that he wouldn’t need that long to heal from his war against Burns. Hinting that he’ll fight Covington as soon as possible, Chimaev, who's now ranked No. 3 at welterweight, noted:
“No, I don’t think so. There’s not much I need, but just fix my eyes, and I can come back. I’m in shape. I know.”