UFC commentator and former middleweight champion Michael Bisping is expecting great things from Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev. With Chimaev set to take on the biggest challenge of his surging career at UFC 273 – welterweight title contender Gilbert Burns – Bisping took to YouTube to make his prediction.
“This is a tough one, but I’m going to lean towards Khamzat. You can say that I’ve been sold the hype. What he did to Li Jingliang, it just blew my mind. That was so impressive. Jingliang ain’t no slouch, he’s a tough guy with good skills and lots of experience, and Khamzat picked him up, and he looked like he could’ve done whatever he wanted with him.
Bisping Backs Khamzat Over Burns
We know he was talking to Dana White, talking about becoming a champion, talking about becoming a champion at 185. There’s a reason why he’s so confident. He’s not stupid. This isn’t him being false arrogant, getting carried away with a little success.
Then he knocked out Gerald Meerschaert, there’s a reason for all of this. It is going to be interesting because I do want to see the wrestling of Khamzat go up against the jiu-jitsu of Gilbert Burns. That is going to be an interesting scenario.”
Chimaev is a major betting favorite heading into the fight, but that’s not to say that he’ll steamroll Gilbert Burns. Burns is an elite grappler with several gold medals to his name. Khamzat’s fighting style blends his ferocious striking and dominant wrestling, but Gilbert Burns’ high-level grappling may well be enough to neutralize the undefeated Chechen fighter. “He needs to make sure his jiu-jitsu defense is on point because if it’s not, Gilbert Burns will catch him.
[Burns is] world class in all aspects of mixed martial arts, but it’s the ground, that is the dangerous one. But is Khamzat going to pick him up and throw him on the ground and just say, ‘F*** you, I don’t care, this is how I’m going to fight’?
But my pick is Khamzat Chimaev. I think he gets it done again, I just do. I think it’s going to be unbelievable because if he does win, whoever wins between Usman and Leon Edwards, he should be next.”
Khamzat and Gilbert Burns will face off this weekend at UFC 273, headlined by title fights in both the featherweight and bantamweight divisions.
Do you think Khamzat can continue his winning streak against Gilbert Burns, or will the hype train come off the tracks? Let us know in the comments.
