Aside from what was a blowout win against Kevin Holland in September of last year, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Khamzat Chimaev break a sweat in the Octagon.

In April 2022, in his three-round war with Gilbert Burns Chimaev showed that he is more than open to engaging in a firefight (even if his coaches weren’t quite so enthusiastic) and on Saturday night’s UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, it is likely that he will have to use his hands once more if he is to defeat former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

Former national champion wrestler Usman, some predict, might negate Chimaev’s traditional wrestling approach, instead rendering the fight a mostly stand-up affair — and if that proves to be the case, it seems as the he is more than ready for it.

Check out our footage from the open workouts earlier on Wednesday in the video below:

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