If Khamzat Chimaev wins his UFC 308 clash this Saturday, he stands on the cusp of getting a step closer to championship immortality. The Chechen-born fighter seems surprisingly calm and rejuvenated after battling physical and mental health issues. A dominant outing against Robert Whittaker can forge a golden path to challenge Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight gold.

In a different scenario, a victory in Abu Dhabi may not lead to a direct title contender but can still pit ‘Borz’ against former division top dog Israel Adesanya. At the UFC 308 fight week, Chimaev reflected on this possibility and said ‘Izzy’ is a good fighter, but isn’t in his prime anymore. In addition, the Chechen wolf also chimed in with his thoughts on a comparison between his two possible prospects.

Speaking to Daniel Cormier, ‘Borz’ said that he doesn’t consider Du Plessis a better fighter than Adesanya despite winning against him. When ‘DC’ asked what he thought of the South African, here’s what the former Swedish national wrestling champion said, “Izzy is a better fighter than Du Plessis, I think. Yeah, they fought [and Izzy lost] but. As a fighter, [you have to ask]; how much are you hungry? How much do you want it? These things [are what determines if] you can be a bad fighter. And some guy can beat you up for four rounds, and last round because you’re hard, you win the fight. So, that’s the thing he doesn’t have anymore. But he is a good fighter. I think he’s much better than Du Plessis.”

Chimaev is no stranger to starting beef with fighters and his antics have involved calling out fighters from different weight classes as well. his desire for a grappling match against Francis Ngannou is well-documented. Recently, ‘Borz’ reflected upon a possible bout against light heavyweight king, Alex Pereira. However, these fabled matchups do not seem to have any shape or form. But what does hold significance is Chimave’s upcoming bout at UFC 308. Naturally, ‘Borz’ seems confident going into the fight, particularly with him competing in his adopted home of Abu Dhabi.

“If he runs away, I will run after him” – Khamzat Chimaev on fighting Robert Whittaker

Khamzat Chimaev, albeit calmer, still seemed supremely confident of winning his bout in Abu Dhabi. One could argue that his new-found calm demeanor spells more danger to Robert Whittaker. However, despite being supremely convinced in his bouts against Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman, he could barely finish them. Furthermore, many pundits and analysts pointed out that ‘Borz’ started to fatigue in the latter half of both those fights.

And Bobby Knuckles is a seasoned five-round machine. If Chimaev’s gas tank issues persist, then the path to victory will seemingly shut in his face. Daniel Cormier echoed this emotion to Chimaev in their interview, asking him whether he’d be able to carry himself past the third round without gassing out. On being asked whether he should start slow in the fight, ‘Borz’ said the following, “I’m going to be myself, man. I’m just going to go fight with this guy. If he runs away, I’m going to run after him. If he fights, I’m going to fight.”

With a win on Saturday, Chimaev could challenge Izzy in a title eliminator or get a shot at the champion himself, as made evident by Dana White in the UFC 308 presser. How do you think this fight plays out? Do you think Khamzat Chimaev will enter the UFC middleweight top-5 after Saturday? Let us know in the comments below.