Former UFC welterweight champion has a simple message to anyone calling for a fight with the unbeaten Khamzat Chiamev: be careful what you wish for.
Chimaev positioned himself near the top of the list for a shot at the UFC middleweight title currently held by Dricus du Plessis with a first-round submission finish of the former 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker at last weekend’s UFC 308 event in Abu Dhabi, as he became just the third man in the past decade to claim a victory over the always-dangerous Australian.
The win — and in particular the manner in which it was achieved — renewed calls for the 14-0 Chimaev to be fast-tracked into a world title shot, potentially leapfrogging Sean Strickland in the process.
However, recent comments from Du Plessis appear to suggest that he favours the Chimaev bout over a rematch with Strickland — and Usman has a warning for anyone who might soon be sharing a cage with the unbeaten Chechen.
“Khamzat is hell in that first round,” Usman said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, as noted by Bloody Elbow. “It’s hell for anybody. Do I think he can do that to Dricus? I think 100 percent he could take Dricus down.
Usman battled Chimaev for three rounds at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi last October, losing via majority decision in a fight in which he was dominated in the opening round before rallying towards the end of the fight as Chimaev’s pace slowed.
“I think he can keep him down, but I don’t know if he can get the finish because Dricus is very, very tough,” Usman added. “There’s a reason Dricus is the champ. Will Khamzat take him down? Yes. Could he keep him down? Yes, maybe the whole first round. But can he finish him? I don’t know.”
As for Du Plessis, the South African is confident of victory if and when the Chimaev bout materialises.
“You know, Khamzat is a strong guy. I don’t think… no, I know for a fact that he’s never fought power like this,” he said recently.
“Now, when it comes to his wrestling, obviously that’s his strong suit and where he likes to take a fight. And, I would welcome that if I had to fight him. You know, let’s meet strengths and see who can last”.
