At UFC 319, Khamzat Chimaev showed a level of dominance that is rarely seen inside the Octagon.
Everyone already knew that the undefeated star was a feared grappler with a track record for running through opponents and putting them away.
In what many believed would be his toughest test to date, Chimaev received some criticism for his shutout win over Dricus du Plessis.
The defending champion wasn’t able to stop his opponent from taking him down and keeping him there, which is going to be alarming for the rest of the division.
While Chimaev has hinted that he could face a dangerous grappler next time out, finding a counter for the wrestling of the new champion is going to be very difficult.
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Matt Brown says a fighter like Yoel Romero would have been an interesting challenge for Khamzat Chimaev
Based on Khamzat Chimaev’s social media post, it looks like submission specialist Reinier de Ridder may be next for the new champion.
‘The Dutch Knight’ is certainly dangerous once the fight hits the floor but it’s still going to be difficult for him to not be smothered by ‘Borz’.
Former UFC fighter Matt Brown reflected on Chimaev’s win in the latest episode of MMA Fighting’s ‘Fighter vs. Writer’.
Brown was clear on the idea that while Chimaev is no slouch on the feet either, the key to beating him is going to be stopping him from dictating the fight, which is far easier said than done.
“Until someone solves his wrestling puzzle, I’m not sure how you’re going to beat him. Someone’s going to have to give him a hard time taking them down where he is forced to stand.”
Brown went on to name a specific former UFC middleweight who would’ve presented a very interesting challenge to Chimaev had he been a few years younger.
With an elite wrestling background and devastating power, Yoel Romero was a nightmare matchup for a lot of the division during his active years, despite the fact that he never won a title.
“It’s very cool to watch him progress,” Brown said. “He’s not going to lose that wrestling. I’m sure that’s who he’s always going to be but if at some point he comes across a Yoel Romero type and he’s forced to stay on the feet, I think it’s going to be exciting to watch and exciting to see how that plays out.”
Joe Rogan was consistently stunned by Yoel Romero’s ability to compete at middleweight
Yoel Romero was a one-of-a-kind athlete in several ways, combining a huge physique that seemingly never aged with dangerous speed and power.
This did come with some downsides for the Cuban athlete, who missed weight on back-to-back occasions in two UFC title fights.
While it clearly wasn’t easy for Romero to compete at middleweight, having really focused on managing his cardio in five round fights, Joe Rogan was still stunned whenever he saw the ‘Soldier of God’ in action.
He told Jorge Masvidal on episode 137 of the JRE MMA Show that the size Romero would build back up to after attempting to make middleweight was staggering.
“The only guy who freaked me out was Yoel [Romero]. Yoel Romero would look so big at 185 pounds, you’re like, ‘How is that 185 pounds? How is that even possible’? He looks like a heavyweight.”