- Alexander Volkanovski broke down how Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman could possibly go down at UFC 294
- “The Great” is not sure about how conditioned and fit “The Nigerian Nightmare” is heading into the short notice fight
Alexander Volkanovski is hyped about the upcoming middleweight showdown between Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. The reigning featherweight champion shared his honest assessment and concluded that both fighters have an advantage and disadvantage.
It’s gonna be on the feet
Speaking on his YouTube channel, “The Great” said he sees a great possibility that “Borz” will recognize Usman’s superb takedown defense and keep the fight on the feet while utilizing his striking.
“I think, again, credit to Chimaev because it ain’t an easy fight. We know Usman’s got very good takedown defense. Colby Covington had big problems with Usman, trying to take him down, I think Usman even got the takedowns on him so we could expect a standup fight,” Volkanovski speculated.
It could depend on Usman’s gas tank
Volk is certain that Chimaev will be coming in aggressive and will maintain his “high-paced” fighting style, which “The Nigerian Nightmare” may have trouble with. However, Volkanovski thinks that it will all boil down to Usman’s conditioning, considering it’s a short notice fight.
“Obviously, Chimaev is going to be in better condition. I don’t know how long Usman’s been training for and Chimaev is a very very high-paced fighter so does that come into play? Can Usman handle the shots? I think he can. Can he handle that pace that Chimaev is going to put?… I think the pace that Chimaev is going to be hard to deal with for someone on short notice… [But Usman] he’s always been in a situation where he’s been pretty prepared, so he’s always in good condition so it’ll be interesting to see how that goes but if his gas tank doesn’t hold up and it does caught him in the later rounds, with the pressure that Chimaev is going to do, I think it’s going to be a hard knock for Usman but if Usman’s fit, his takedown defense is going to be hard and I think we’re in for a cracking fight,” Volk said.
Both Volkanovski and Usman took their respective UFC 294 bouts on short notice. Volk will try and make the most of the opportunity to become a two-division champ as he takes on lightweight king Islam Makhachev once again.
On the other hand, Usman will do his best to redeem himself, having lost in his last two title fights against welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Meanwhile, Chimaev is hoping another win on his resume will finally make him the next middleweight title challenger.
Check out the full video below:
