Khamzat Chimaev says that a man has given a more difficult fight than Gilbert Burns in the UFC.
In April 2022, 'Borz' had stopped 10 consecutive opponents to become one of the greatest stars in MMA.
Welterweight Competent Gilbert Burns represented a huge step in opposition when they squares in a three-round fight on UFC 273.
'Durinho' gave Khamzat Chimaev everything he can handle for more than 15 minutes and pushed him to the score cards, but eventually the favorite of the Brazilian fan in a shave-thin decision was beaten in Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Khamzat Chimaev calls his toughest opponent
Chimaev has picked up two big wins since his bloody three-round fight with burns.
He recently grabbed the teeth of Robert Whittaker with an entry on UFC 308 in October 2024.
However, it was a year earlier when he had the most difficult fight of his career against Kamaru Usman.
The former Weltergeweight champion came in on late notification to replace Paulo Costa on UFC 294.
Chimaev dominated him early, but as the game progressed, Usman got a foothold in the fight.
In the end, Chimaev ran away with a majority decisions victory, so that fans wondered how Usman would have done in a clash of five laps on which he had a full camp to prepare.
According to the man himself, nobody gave a more difficult test than Usman did in October 2023.
“The most difficult opponent of my career? I would say Kamaru Usman, “Chimaev told Azamat Chef.
“He defended well against my struggle, his struggle is pretty good.
“He defended well against struggling, not even struggling, he didn't give me his neck.
“I tried to choke on for five minutes, but he defended very well.”
What is the next step for Khamzat Chimaev?
Chimaev has been about to secure a UFC title shot in recent years.
It seems almost certain that he will get the next crack at UFC Middleweight Champion Dric Du Plessis.
'DDP' is fresh from a crooked decision gain against Sean Strickland, which he removed at UFC 312 last month.
Du Plessis revealed his game plan to beat Chimaev after his first defense of the 185LB UFC -Riem.
Now it's just a matter of waiting for UFC boss Dana White to announce a date and location for the Chimaev title shot.
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