UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre recently gave his take on rising star Khamzat Chimaev’s Octagon performance earlier this month.
Chimaev made a massive leap in the welterweight division when he fought the No. 2-ranked 170-pound combatant in the promotion, Gilbert Burns. The two went to war for three taxing rounds during UFC 273 on April 9. Both bloody and bruised warriors get dropped by the other and in the end, Chimaev earned the judges’ nod via unanimous decision.
“Borz” went from outside the division’s top 10 to the No. 3 spot with the victory, as per the official UFC website, and Burns dropped to No. 4.
Speaking with MMA News’ Jame Lynch this week, “GSP” said that Chimaev’s gritty clash with Gilbert Burns was necessary for Borz’s growth as a fighter. However, the Canadian doesn’t believe Chimaev turned in the “smartest” showing. It was a less-than-perfect showing from Chimaev, who relied mostly on his resilience and power to best Burns, instead of a managed gameplan.
“I think it was a great fight for him,” St-Pierre said via MMA Mania. “He needed this because he went through everybody a little bit like butter. You need some adversity sometimes and in the adversity, you get better and improve. So I think it was a good fight for him.
“It’s not good to get hit in the head,” he continued. “I like to watch him fight but I don’t think he fought the smartest fight,” he continued. “I think he could have made it easier for himself. He’s just used to going through everybody like this but you can’t fight like this at the elite level. You need to prepare, to gameplan and to become the perfect nemesis for your opponent. You can’t always go in there and try to trade blows with someone like this.”
Chimaev is now 5-0 as a UFC fighter, and he boasts a professional MMA record of 11-0 with 10 wins via finish.
UFC President Dana White Wants Chimaev vs. Colby Covington Next
Ahead of Chimaev’s contest with “Durinho,” UFC president Dana White said that he wanted to book Borz versus No. 1 Colby Covington for the promotion’s ABC card later this year. Covington is coming off a five-round decision victory over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 last month, and although he’s ranked at the top of welterweight, “Chaos” has suffered two losses to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
So, if Covington wants another shot at UFC gold while Usman is champion, he’ll need to knock off a few more contenders.
Chaos hasn’t spoken publicly about the UFC president’s wishes. A date and venue have not been revealed for the ABC card.
Belal Muhammad Wants to Fight Chimaev
Belal Muhammad earned the biggest win of his career earlier this month, defeating Vicente Luque by unanimous decision. “Remember the Name” is the No. 5-ranked welterweight and he’s eyeing a fight with Chimaev next, specifically because he doesn’t see Covington accepting a match with either himself or Borz.
That’s what he told Adam Martin during MMA Fighting’s “The Fighter & The Writer” segment.
If Covington chooses another route, then Chimaev vs. Muhammad would be another prime fight at welterweight, and the winner could be next in line behind Leon Edwards to challenge Usman.
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