Khamzat Chimaev explains why Kamaru Usman won’t be the same, mentally after KO loss

Khamzat Chimaev is unsure if Kamaru Usman returns to form after his loss to Leon Edwards. The ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ was dethroned by ‘Rocky,’ who…

By: Kristen King | 9 months ago
Khamzat Chimaev explains why Kamaru Usman won’t be the same, mentally after KO loss
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Khamzat Chimaev is unsure if Kamaru Usman returns to form after his loss to Leon Edwards.

The ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ was dethroned by ‘Rocky,’ who became the first fighter to finish Usman by KO with a head kick in the fifth round of their fight at UFC 278 this past August. The former UFC welterweight champion compared being knocked out to taking a ’20-minute nap,’ which has some, including Chimaev, wondering if he can recover by the time he returns to the Octagon.

“It was a crazy fight, good fight,” said Chimaev to Brett Okamoto of ESPN. “I learned a lot of things about that fight. It was funny to watch. [Usman] was too much high up. He was like, ‘I’m gonna fight with Canelo [Álvarez],’ and all these things and he got shot. He wasn’t focused and he said, ‘I’m always focused,’ and a lot of things. ‘I want to make money.’ … Leon comes and shot his head, dropped the guy.

“I don’t think he’ll be the same guy again,” continued Chimaev. “In the mind. We’ve seen a lot of champions thinking, ‘Nobody can beat me,’ because he defend so many times, ‘Now I’m unbeatable,’ that kind of thing, and bam, somebody knock you out. Now you know you’re human, as well.”

Chimaev was considered one of the greatest threats to Usman and his reign, as ‘Borz’ rose to contention with five consecutive wins. Had Usman defeated Edwards, the next contender in line for the champion would have been Chimaev, who hoped to earn a championship opportunity with a win against Nate Diaz at UFC 279.

Now that the landscape of the division has changed, Chimaev may have to wait for his shot at gold as all signs are pointing to the trilogy between Usman and Edwards happening next. The undefeated upstart is fine with that, but still hopes to fight Usman one day.

“If it will happen, it will be a big fight because everyone wants to see that fight,” said Chimaev. “He’s almost the same kind of fighter like me, good wrestling and good boxing, but his grappling is terrible. Leon Edwards took him down, took his back. If I take his back, I squeeze off his head. Everyone wants to see that fight.”



LIVE! Watch UFC 286 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

CHAMPIONSHIP TRILOGY! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to The O2 in London England, on Sat., March 18, 2023, with newly-minted Welterweight kingpin, Leon Edwards, running it back with former 170-pound champion, Kamaru Usman, for a third (and likely final) time. In UFC 286’s pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, all-action Lightweight knockout artists, Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev, will lock horns with the winner inching closer to a future Lightweight title shot.

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

Share this story

About the author
Kristen King
Kristen King

Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016, getting her start with outlets such as FanSided, MyMMANews and MMA-Prospects. She joined the BE team in 2020, covering a mix of news, events and injuries. In her time with BE, Kristen has created ‘Fright of the Night,’ a series that highlights some of the worst injuries in the sport.

More from the author

Recent Stories