- Khamzat Chimaev reflected on his UFC 273 performance against Gilbert Burns
- “Borz” is already confident about beating Colby Covington
After three rounds of trading blows with Gilbert Burns, Khamzat Chimaev ended up getting his hand raised and was declared the winner via unanimous decision. Looking back at his performance, “Borz” knew he made some mistakes.
“Too excited” about a knockout
Speaking to reporters in his post-fight presser, Chimaev candidly opened up about being “too excited” to score a knockout. Despite winning, he realized that he made a mistake as Burns turned out to be one tough nail.
“I was too excited to knock him [Burns] out,” Chimaev explained. “I was saying to everybody all week I was going to knock him out in one round. I tried to knock him out. That was wrong for me, from the beginning.”
“The guy was tough, I didn’t accept that,” he admitted. “From the first second to the last second, I tried to finish him. Next time, I’m going to work to be a little bit smarter. I’m going to smash somebody. It wasn’t something surprising from him, but it was wrong for me. My coach told me all the time, you love to throw down and work more technical. I just want to take his head off. Next time, I’m going to work for that.”
All respect from @KChimaev after his hard-earned victory 💪 #UFC273 pic.twitter.com/wuoDGt8oE2
— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 2022
A controversial win?
Like in any other decision win, Chimaev’s was also plagued with controversy as some believe Burns should’ve won, having reportedly outlanded “Borz” in significant strikes, 119-108. Regardless of what people think, Chimaev said he could care less.
“I like that s***,” he said. “I love my face bloody and sweaty and kick somebody, punch somebody. Make money, I got $50 Gs. I’m happy.
“Before, I didn’t get that fight. It was my first fight like that. I loved it. I was waiting for that for a long time. I had 10 fights and 10 finishes but this fight happened. I bled, sweat and fought three rounds.”
Ready to smash Colby
UFC president Dana White previously said that Chimaev will be facing Colby Covington next if he gets past Burns. Now that all signs point to a showdown with the No. 1 welterweight contender, “Borz” said he’ll be more than happy to smash his next opponent’s face.
“I don’t care. I said, everybody. I’ll fight everybody,” he pointed out. “If that guy [Covington] don’t call the cops and Dana White doesn’t go to jail, I will be happy for the fight. I’ll come to the fight, and I’ll smash his face.”
As it stands, Chimaev is now 5-0 in the UFC and will be breaking into the 170-pound division’s top 10.