- Stephen Thompson explained why most fighters fear Khamzat Chimaev
- “Wonderboy” reckoned no one really knows what else “Borz” can do inside the octagon
Khamzat Chimaev has been all over the news ahead of his welterweight clash with No. 2 contender Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 this weekend. The 27-year-old is coming in brimming with confidence and his fellow 170-pounder Stephen Thompson thinks he has the right to.
“A scary opponent right there”
After witnessing Chimaev showcase his skills and hunger to win in his first four UFC fights, Thompson is now convinced that “Borz” has already instilled fear in his fellow welterweight contenders.
“It’s one thing to have skills, to have strength, and technique,” Thompson said of Chimaev on his YouTube channel. “But when you combine that with willpower, and determination to win, you have a scary opponent right there in front of you.”
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There could be more
Chimaev finished all his past opponents and has never reached round 3 in all of his UFC fights. While some believe that “Borz” has not faced real competition yet, “Wonderboy,” meanwhile, thinks it’s the other way around.
According to Thompson, no one knows what more damage can Chimaev inflict on his opponents inside the octagon.
“We haven’t seen any of his [Chimaev’s weaknesses] weaknesses,” Thompson assessed. “Have you seen this guy get knocked down? Have you seen him get taken down? Have you seen him get submitted? No. What works against him? We don’t know. I think that’s what makes this guy so special.”
“We haven’t seen the other side of Khamzat Chimaev, just his wrestling,” he continued. “We don’t know what else he’s capable of,” said Thompson. “We haven’t seen how he handles adversity in the cage. We haven’t seen somebody backing him up on his heels. How does he handle the kind of stuff? We don’t know.”
UFC president Dana White has recently confirmed that should Chimaev beat Burns, he will be facing No. 1 welterweight contender Colby Covington next.
