“I Actually Think Leon Could Be His Toughest Fight”: Former UFC Fighter Gives His Two Cents on the Future of Khamzat Chimaev in the Welterweight Division

Khamzat Chimaev is a fighter that is expected to do great things in the future. Despite being accused of being a weight bully, Chimaev has been undefeated at the end of the fight, each time he got in the cage. He currently sits on a career record that reads 12 wins and 0 losses. 6 of his wins have come by knockout and another 5 via submission, with just one fight going long enough to be decided by the judges. The fact that his wins have been equally distributed between knock-outs and submissions is proof of Chimaev’s striking and wrestling prowess. The fighter is confident and skilled.

Chimaev is currently ranked #3 in the welterweight division, but former UFC welterweight Darren Till feels he can go a long way. Till was talking to MMA journalist, Chamatkar Sandhu. He mentioned how he thought Chimaev’s toughest fights will be against Leon Edwards and Colby Covington.

Darren Till predicts welterweight top fights

The journalist asked Darren Till about his views on Khamzat Chimaev, who had a meteoric rise in the past few years. Responding to the question, Darren Till said he could see Chimaev becoming the champion in the welterweight division and named Leon Edwards and Colby Covington as two of his toughest competitors.

Till said, “I think he is gonna be the welterweight champion. I’ve changed my mind on who I think is going to be his toughest fight as well. I don’t think, I used to think Usman or Colby would be his toughest fight. I actually think Leon could be his toughest fight. Just because of his, you know, takedown defense and his striking, so I think if I had to say his toughest fight in the welterweight division, I think it would be Leon.”

Read More: After Khamzat Chimaev’s Call-Out, UFC Middleweight Robert Whittaker Opens Up on the Rumored Fight: ”I’ve Been Waiting”

Chimaev last fought against Kevin Holland at UFC 279. He won the fight round submitting Holland with a Brabo Choke. There have been statements from UFC president Dana White about Chimaev moving to the middleweight. The dates for his next fight are not confirmed yet.

Darren Till and Khamzat Chimaev have been friends

The British fighter has personal reasons for favoring Khamzat Chimaev in the championship race. There was a time Darren Till was undefeated in the UFC. Then he slumped to 5 losses in 6 fights. After his fight with Derek Brunson, Darren Till was not looking like his old self, and help came from several corners.

‘Borz’ was one of those helping hands. He wanted Darren Till to work on his wrestling and get in shape. The two of them started training together and gradually Till started getting better. Till had a good influence on Khamzat Chimaev, too. This forged the strong bonds of friendship between the two welterweight fighters. It will be interesting to see if Darren Till’s predictions about his friend come true.

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