Khamzat Chimaev was told to learn his lesson from one of his toughest tests in the UFC to date.
Chimaev has proved to be a largely unsolvable puzzle in MMA. The Chechen star has beaten a number of notable names en route to an undefeated 14-0 record and a long-predicted UFC title shot.
In the main event of Saturday’s UFC 319 pay-per-view, Chimaev will challenge Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title. The South African is tasked with achieving what no man has if he is to remain champion, but the blueprint appears to be out there.
‘Borz’ has been seriously tested on two occasions inside the Octagon, and the first saw him sustain so much damage that a consensus UFC GOAT stepped in with a warning for Chimaev.
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Georges St-Pierre urged Khamzat Chimaev to re-think his approach after brutal UFC 273 war
In April 2022, Chimaev battled Gilbert Burns at the UFC 273 PPV in Jacksonville. The bout was a crucial one in the unbeaten phenom’s quest for an opportunity at capturing the welterweight gold, something later derailed by a weight miss that same year.
Both men had moments of success across three rounds, resulting in an absolute thriller that went down as one of the year’s best fights. After appearing hurt at times, Chimaev ultimately had his hand raised by way of a close decision.
The man widely seen as the division’s greatest of all time, the legendary Georges St-Pierre, believed the fight was crucial in Chimaev’s development — as long as he learned from the sizable mistakes he made in his approach.
“I think it was a great fight for him,” St-Pierre said in an interview with MMA News. “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, you improve. So I think it was a good fight for him.
“(But) it’s not good to get hit in the head. I like to watch him fight, but I don’t think he fought the smartest fight. 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,” St-Pierre warned. “You need to prepare, to game plan, and to become the perfect nemesis for your opponent.
“You can’t only go there and try to trade blows with someone like this.”
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Arman Tsarukyan says Khamzat Chimaev has addressed his weakness for UFC 319
The same perceived weakness was a major talking point after both of Chimaev’s decision wins in the UFC.
Tight contests against Burns and Kamaru Usman saw the Chechen star appear to fade late, something many have used as a key point when predicting Chimaev’s title clash against Du Plessis on Saturday night.
An insider from Chimaev’s UFC 319 camp, however, has suggested that issue has been rectified.
“In this camp, Khamzat has improved his recovery ability, and strength and conditioning,” Arman Tsarukyan told Kamil Gadzhiev.
“He’s been working on his strength and conditioning twice a week, in addition to striking sparring sessions and wrestling. He works with a new strength and conditioning coach (for his) cardio.
“So I believe in this upcoming fight, his cardio must be very good,” Tsarukyan added. “He’s been tested (in that area) every day. His recovery ability, there’s a device that shows his recovery stats every morning right after he gets up.”