Khamzat Chimaev became an even scarier prospect for the rest of the middleweight division with his performance at UFC 319.
While Chimaev was long predicted to become a champion in MMA’s leading promotion, some pointed to fatigue as the one thing that could hold ‘Borz’ back in his first title shot.
But against a cardio machine in Dricus du Plessis, the Chechen star dominated from start to finish. Chimaev dethroned Du Plessis at UFC 319, racking up an incredible 21 minutes and 40 seconds of control time during their five-round main event.
Given Chimaev’s struggles against Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns when going the distance in the past, most were giving the edge to Du Plessis in the latter rounds. That was far from the case, and the newly crowned middleweight king seemingly has one secret weapon to thank…
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Khamzat Chimaev plans to keep using strength and conditioning coach after UFC 319 success
Predictions ahead of UFC 319 certainly followed a trend, with many backing Chimaev if the fight were to end early and Du Plessis if it went beyond round two. Michael Bisping, for one, was expecting ‘Borz’ to find himself up two rounds before falling victim to a huge comeback.
That ultimately did not come to fruition, and unlike past fights, the challenger never looked in danger of slowing down. The reason for that would seem to be the work Chimaev put in with renowned strength and conditioning coach Sam Calavitta.
The trainer is known for putting top athletes through their paces in the gym, and ‘Borz’ evidently reaped the rewards of that on fight night in Chicago. With that in mind, it was no surprise when Chimaev expressed interest in keeping Calavitta in his team moving forward during the post-fight press conference.
“No, (it was not a one-off). I am gonna work with this guy,” Chimaev said.
“He is one of the best guys who I worked with cardio. That is crazy training over there.
” So, thanks (to) him,” Chimaev added.
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Joe Rogan names which middleweight could be a threat to Khamzat Chimaev
There’s one question on everyone’s lips after UFC 319 — who could be the one to dethrone Chimaev?
In terms of who has the best chance, color commentator Joe Rogan has a name in mind.
Snubbing top contenders like Caio Borralho, Nassourdine Imavov, and Anthony Hernandez, Rogan named Reinier de Ridder as a threat to Chimaev after the UFC 319 main event.
“Reinier de Ridder, in particular, given his ability to grapple on the ground, and also his ability to land shots standing, particularly that knee he lands. That is nasty,” Rogan said.
“Toughness, experience, he throws those combinations with that long lead-in knee. He’s interesting.”