UFC welterweight star comes clean about Khamzat Chimaev beatdown rumors, makes bold prediction about 'Borz's' future
Khamzat Chimaev has never tasted defeat in his pro-MMA career, but his gym stories are even more impressive. However, one story of Chimaev being beaten up by a current UFC welterweight was in the rumor mills last year, courtesy of Irish UFC bantamweight Caolan Loughran.
The 170-pounder in question is Michael 'Venom' Page, who addressed the rumors in his recent appearance on the Overdogs Podcast. Apparently, it was not Page but his teammate Norbert Novenyi who sparred 'Borz'.
According to Page, Novenyi and Chimaev had a back-and-forth battle. The Brit sparred with some other fighters from the Chechen's team, hence the mix-up in the story. The No.15-ranked welterweight said:
"That's nonsense. I didn't even get to spar him. He ended up sparring my boy, Norbert Novenyi. Yeah, he's actually a free agent now, he's looking [for a contract], he's soon going to be in the UFC. Great up-and-coming fighter. Norbert gave him a little back-and-forth round. They had their, you know, their little tense sparring, you know, sessions. That was where, I think, because we came as a team, he's from my team, and then I sparred a couple of the other guys, and, you know, I was kind of having fun and showing flair, like showing my flair and stuff. And, like I said, Chinese Whispers, it got mixed up. I had nothing to do with that."
Seeing 'Borz' up close was eye-opening for Page. He realized that the undefeated phenom was immensely talented and admitted it gave him impetus to work on his deficiencies. As such, he predicted Chimaev to claim the middleweight title this year, adding:
"I got to see him in his element, and like I said, he and Norbert had a back-and-forth spar, which was great. But at the same time, I saw how super talented this guy is. Like, I love seeing [talented] people because, for me, he's talented in a completely different area [than] me, and I just appreciate it. It gave me inspiration to go back and really work on what I need to work on. He is such a beast, and I guarantee you he gets the title this year. Guarantee you."
Check out Michael 'Venom' Page's comments about Khamzat Chimaev below (34:52):
Michael 'Venom' Page explains Khamzat Chimaev's fighting style
Though not officially announced, Khamzat Chimaev is likely the next challenger for middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. Chimaev and du Plessis fight at an entirely different pace, evidenced by their octagon appearances.
On the Overdogs Podcast, Michael 'Venom' Page claimed that if Chimaev manages his cardio, he will be unbeatable:
"I think if he [Chimaev] manages his, uh, I think he's, you know, he looked better in the last fight. Obviously, it didn't last long, so we didn't get to see much. But normally, he's like Crash Bandicoot in the first round, and then his energy dips. But if he's able to manage his energy and manage his, like, his muscular endurance, and not go too crazy, I don't see anybody beating him." [36:07 of the above video]
However, Page also admitted that the middleweight champion could defeat 'Borz'. The Brit noted that someone like du Plessis or Merab Dvalishvili, who fight at a constant pace throughout the fight, will be a problem for fighters who start extremely strong and slow down.