Daniel Cormier dropped a bombshell announcement prior to UFC 273 that changes everything about Khamzat Chimaev’s unanimous decision victory over Gilbert Burns.
Many critics were keen to point out that Chimaev “looked human” against Burns, with some fans even arguing that ‘Durinho’ should have won the bout. What they likely didn’t know, however, was that ‘Borz’ was fasting for Ramadan during the final week of the fight.
That’s right, ‘DC’ revealed in the lead-up to UFC 273 that Chimaev, who extended his unbeaten streak to 11-0 (5-0 UFC), was — and still is — fasting in preparation for the biggest fight of his career.
“One thing that we are not really talking about much in terms of Khamzat…Khamzat is a Muslim, he’s a Muslim man. He’s fasting all day and taking on the biggest fight of his entire career this weekend. I had a guy that lived with me, and he could barely train wrestling. So to train and prepare for a high-level fight right now speaks to the type of savage that Khamzat Chimaev really is.”
Savage, indeed.
Chimaev took the fight to Burns from the opening bell and showed no signs of wilting despite not only fasting but also being wobbled briefly in the second round. Khamzat, who has been described by American Top Team’s Dan Lambert as ‘The Muslim Conor McGregor’, will continue fasting until Ramadan ends on May 1. He is currently #3 in the UFC welterweight rankings.
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