Former UFC double-champion Henry Cejudo has urged welterweight fan favorite Khamzat Chimaev to keep his emotions in check going forward in his UFC career.
‘Triple C’s’ advice comes after ‘Borz’s’ epic slugfest against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 which saw the Chechnyan eke out a hard-fought decision victory after three rounds of action at Jacksonville Florida’s VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
Cejudo was impressed by what he saw on Saturday but feels Chimaev must learn how to pace himself and control his emotions if he ever wants to become a UFC champion.
“Just because you’re doing less doesn’t mean you’re doing worse, you’re not dedicated. This is a big mistake that all these fighters make,” Cejudo told Helen Yee in a recent interview (h/t Low Kick MMA).
“You can expose that. When someone’s emotional, it’s different. This is why you think of guys like Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Saint-Pierre, the Triple C. It’s like we know when we’re losing a round. I think with Khamzat, it was just fight, fight, fight. It was a fight because he brought the fight but that doesn’t mean you always have to do that. So, I think he has to check his emotions.”
Chimaev’s own corner even instructed their star student to dial down his emotions and stop brawling in between rounds two and three, so there is definitely some merit to Cejudo’s comments.
With the win, Chimaev catapulted to No. 3 in the UFC welterweight rankings and solidified himself as a legitimate title contender.
About the author
