- Khamzat Chimaev accused Kamaru Usman of taking the short notice fight with him because of money
- “Borz” is confident he is far superior to Sean Strickland as a fighter
Everything is clear as day for Khamzat Chimaev as he edges closer to his UFC return against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. For “Borz,” Usman is only after the money and the reigning middleweight champion Sean Strickland is way behind him as far as skill set goes.
Kamaru knows Khamzat means money
Speaking to reporters on UFC 294 media day, Chimaev shared his side of the story about why he didn’t come down to welterweight and challenge Usman. He then concluded that “The Nigerian Nightmare” is well aware that fighting him means a huge ton of money and that’s the main reason Usman took the fight on short notice.
“If he has the belt, I would go down, but the guy doesn’t have the belt, that’s why I don’t want to go down [and] cut the weight for nothing,” Chimaev explained. “If there’s gold there, of course, I’m going to cut the weight, but he couldn’t take the belt [from Leon Edwards] so, that’s why he asked, ‘Who is that guy?’ I’m Khamzat Chimaev. That’s why you come up and fighting with me. And the guy come for money and the money fight is me.”
“Of course, because since day one I get to the UFC, everyone spoke about Khamzat-Usman, Khamzat-Usman. Our wrestling skills, our striking, all of these things. Usman is a fighter like me, but he’s the old version, I’m new, different. Like iPhones come out, like iPhone 5, I’m like, Pro, it’s different,” he added.
Sean is a good guy but not a great fighter
As for his take on Strickland, Chimaev pointed out that he already knew what “Tarzan” could do, having sparred with the middleweight champ in the past. According to “Borz,” people should not get it twisted as he has no issues with Strickland. However, the truth is that he is just a lot better than Strickland as a fighter.
“I’ve taken him down, I’ve held him down, I’ve choked him, I’ve punched him,” Chimaev said of Strickland through a translator. “I’ve done all those things so I don’t see something special about him. Basically he’s a fighter’s fighter. If you look at him, he’s like an American cowboy, like from the movies. That’s the kind of guy he is.
“But, we’ve done our work in the gym together and if they offer him to me, if I can fight him for the belt, that’s what I’ll do. I make the money, I get the belt, I have nothing against him. I think that if you compare us on a skill level-wise, I’m levels above him. I’m in a whole different stratosphere from him. So, he’s not a threat to me, but he’s a good guy, a good fighter, and I’m ready to fight anyone,” he added.
Chimaev will look to improve his unbeaten UFC streak by securing a win over Usman. Prior to UFC 294, “Borz” already declared that he would be coming for the title and take over the middleweight division. On the other hand, Usman is hoping to end his skid and finally get back to his winning ways. Should he end up with a W, it is still yet to be known if he could earn a title shot once again.
Check out Chimaev’s full presser below:
