“He Was Calling Himself Khabib 2.0”: 3 Years After Khamzat Chimaev’s Debut, UFC Legend Makes Eye-Opening Disclosure on the Welterweight Star

Khamzat Chimaev has established himself in the UFC as one of the most dominant fighters on the roster. He is known to manhandle and rag doll fighters inside the Octagon. However, things weren’t always smooth for the Swedish star. UFC legend Chael Sonnen claims that ‘Borz’ lacked confidence during his initial days fighting in Dana White‘s promotion.

Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant fighting style saw him rack up six wins in the UFC, while still staying undefeated. He is currently one of the scariest fighters in the promotion. Even Khamzat Chimaev claims that nobody wants to fight him inside the Octagon.

Chael Sonnen talks about Khamzat Chimaev’s first five fights

‘The American Gangster’ mentioned how skilled ‘Borz’ was as a fighter and he showcased that in his initial days fighting under the UFC banner. He said, “Chimaev had the skills and Chimaev would go in there and what did he do, like five in a row or something?”

Chael Sonnen also suggested that Chimaev claimed to have never been hit during his first five fights. He also talked about his first five matches finishing mostly in the first round itself. Sonnen added, “Five matches all done in the first five minutes and he’s never been hit. That’s Chimaev’s claim, something real close to that.” However, things weren’t so mellow for the Swedish star.

Sonnen claims Khamzat Chimaev lacked confidence

Chael Sonnen spoke about how Chimaev was calling himself another version of Khabib Nurmagomedov. He said, “But he also wasn’t as confident about the journey, about the story. He was calling himself ‘Khabib 2.0.'” However, his performances started to gain traction among the fans and he realized that they were interested in him. This happened after rumors started to swirl about ‘The Eagle’ being on the cusp of retirement. Sonnen added, “When he started to realize that the audience was interested in him in conjunction with the perfect storm which was Khabib rumored to be looking at retirement.”

‘The American Gangster’ claims that the fans didn’t want to see another Khabib Nurmagomedov. They either wanted ‘The Eagle’ to stay or find a new dominant fighter in Khamzat Chimaev. That was the time when ‘Borz’ stepped out of Nurmagomedov’s shadow and established himself as a unique fighter. “All of a sudden, we don’t need a 2.0. We just needed Khabib or we just needed Chimaev. So he broke through and stepped out of that,” said Chael Sonnen.

READ MORE: Beneil Dariush Injuries: The Lightweight Contender’s Ruined Chance That Cost Him Title Shot

Khamzat Chimaev hasn’t fought in the UFC since his last fight at UFC 279. According to Dana White, he will fight in the middleweight division due to his problems with cutting weight. However, nothing has come to fruition. He is yet to find his next opponent.

WATCH THIS STORY: Jon Jones Encourages Fans While Revealing Success Mantras