- Big John backed Khamzat Chimaev to win over Nate Diaz
- McCarthy believes Sean O’Malley is not ready for Petr Yan just yet
In a recent episode of Weighing In Xtra, Big John shared his breakdown of two of the hottest upcoming fights in the UFC. One being Nate Diaz’s final outing on the current deal against Khamzat Chimaev and the other being Sean O’Malley’s big leap up in competition against Petr Yan.
Big John backed Khamzat Chimaev to beat Nate Diaz
Chimaev is set to take on Diaz in the headlining bout of UFC 279 on Sep. 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Big John backed the rising “Borz” to defeat the Stockton fan-favorite.
“Let’s just be honest about this. Nate Diaz, this is the last fight of his contract. Khamzat Chimaev is not the style of fight that is Nate Diaz’s style. Khamzat is a guy that can take him down, he can keep away from the submissions. I take a look at this fight and it’s not a fight that favors Nate. It favors Khamzat, that’s why the UFC wanted to put it together.
“I say that Khamzat will end up with a TKO win, probably by doctor’s stoppage or referee stoppage.”
McCarthy believes Petr Yan will defeat Sean O’Malley
Talking about “Suga” Sean’s upcoming matchup with the former interim title holder Yan, McCarthy speculated whether the move up in competition would prove to be too much.
“Sean O’Malley is doing exactly what was smart. He’s waiting for better competition now that he’s got a better contract. But I do not think he is ready for Petr Yan.
“I think he saw the fight that Aljamain Sterling did and believes that he can replicate a lot of that. He’s got a very good ground game. Petr Yan’s a machine that starts rolling and when it starts rolling, it is hard to stop.
“Sean O’Malley is a great fighter, I love watching him but at this moment, Petr Yan is too much in the stand-up… I think that Petr Yan stops him somewhere around the fourth round.”
O’Malley will compete against Yan on the main card at UFC 280 on Oct. 22.