‘I’m not sold on Khamzat Chimaev’: Former UFC fighter, analyst explains why

December 29, 2023 2:15 pm ET

Josh Thomson believes UFC standout Khamzat Chimaev has failed to live up to his hype.

Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) burst onto the UFC scene in the summer of 2020 when he made a historic 10-day turnaround, picking up finishes of John Phillips and Rhys McKee in two different weight classes.

Unbeaten Chimaev is undoubtedly a big star, with his past three wins coming over former title challenger Gilbert Burns, Kevin Holland and most recently ex-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at middleweight. But considering that Chimaev’s recent wins over Burns and Usman have been tightly contested, Thomson thinks his aura of invincibility has taken a hit.

“I said this the last time I saw him fight: I’m not sold on him yet,” Thomson said on his “Weighing In” podcast. “I’m not sold on Khamzat Chimaev. Everyone’s like, ‘You’re stupid, you’re being a hater.’ I’m like, ‘No, I don’t care what you guys say.’ I’ve been in the fight game a long, long time. Fighters come, fighters go. They explode onto the scene and guess what? Then they linger around for a little bit hoping to get back on track, and some of them never do, and some have a resurgence.

“Charles Oliveira is one of the guys that had a resurgence. A lot of guys before in the past never did. Melvin Guillard never did. He came on like fireworks and just kind of fizzled out and faded away, and I don’t even know where he’s at now. That’s no knock on him, That happens to a lot of fighters. I’m just using him as an example.”

Chimaev twice has been touted as the next title challenger at welterweight and middleweight, but neither came to fruition.

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