- Darren Till talked about the evolution of Khamzat Chimaev as a UFC fighter
- “The Gorilla” wants to see Chimaev in a five-round battle against Colby Covington
Darren Till has been hugely involved in Khamzat Chimaev’s training camp for the Gilbert Burns fight at UFC 273. In the process, he got the opportunity to witness the progress of “Borz” firsthand. Based on Till’s assessment, Chimaev learned a lot in the Burns fight and is now ready for a tougher opponent in the division: *cough* Colby Covington.
Not perfect, but good
Despite “Borz” not being able to prolong his incredible three-fight, first-round finishes, Till reckoned that Chimaev’s three-round slugfest with the Brazilian was essential to his pal’s development as a fighter.
“I said to him backstage, I said to him, that’s what you needed,” Till told Submission Radio of Chimaev’s fight with Burns. “Like, this is probably the best outcome you could have had, cause now you’re going to train even harder and you’re gonna listen to your coaches strategy more.
It’s not about just going out there and knocking guys out and toughing guys out, cause you’re gonna go up against an unmovable force one day, which we came up against, like Gilbert on the night, he was strong and durable and stuff like that, so it was probably the best outcome, in my opinion.”
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‘Khamzat Can Knock Him Out’
Chimaev’s unanimous decision win over Burns saw him catapult his name up to No. 3 in the welterweight rankings. The only two guys atop are Colby Covington and Leon Edwards.
Like Dana White, Till would like to see “Borz” take on Covington next in a five-round battle. This time, “The Gorilla” is confident Chimaev will score a knockout win.
“I would like to see him fight Colby [Covington] in a five-round main event, and I think that’s the best thing for both guys,” Till continued. “I think Khamzat can knock him out. I don’t think Colby’s felt power like Khamzat. Like, I’ve changed my opinion a bit, because Colby’s a good fighter, but I just don’t see who he’s fighting who’s at the top of the top of the level right now. Obviously [Kamaru] Usman, but like, there’s no one [else]. Khamzat’s obviously come up real quick.”
“I just think Khamzat’s got so much power and edge over him,” he continued. “Listen, Colby’s a terrific fighter, he’s phenomenal, but I see the win there with Khamzat, and I’d love to see that to get him ready for the title for Usman.”
With some convinced that Chimaev was humbled for the first time in the Burns fight, there’s a great chance “Borz” will be hungrier than ever to prove them wrong.
