Gilbert Burns of Brazil reacts after defeating Mike Davis during their lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Gilbert Burns recounts that Khamzat Chimaev is turning a blind eye to his skills and ability to win the fight
The mental warfare between Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev has started to mount, ahead of their UFC 273 clash. A former title-contender himself, Burns believes that Khamzat is disregarding his body of work and experience.
‘Borz’ has the reputation for being the hardest worker in the room, and the undefeated Chechen’s anecdote of domination have received high-praises from fellow peers and MMA media alike. During an interview with The Allstar, ‘Durinho’ suggested that Chimaev’s disregard and lack of respect will be the downfall of him.
He said, “I see him [as] very confident. Especially [because he’s] undefeated… I do believe he’s a little bit overconfident, he thinks he’s untouchable, never saw a loss, I’ve been there before.”
He also emphasized that he has the tools in the box to truly expose Chimaev. He added, “I think these guys that see a loss on the very beginning of his career… I think those guys got a little bit more familiar with a loss… But couple guys are like Khabib too, they’re just different. It might be case with Chimaev, you’re gonna find out April 9.”
The pair are set to lock horns on the main card of UFC 273, headlined by featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski’s third title defense against ‘The Korean Zombie’.
Khamzat Chimaev has taken the MMA world by storm, ever since he made his debut in 2020. The Russian born- Swedish mixed martial artist is pitted to be the only fighter in the welterweight division that really stands a chance to beat the welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman. The promotion has been working relentlessly to get a top-ranked competition for him, and it has finally come to effectuation with a fight against no.2 ranked, Gilbert Burns.
Eric Nicsick, the MMA 2020 coach of the year, posted a picture of Chimaev at his eminent training centre, fine-tuning his skills. Chimaev had also spent considerable time training at Tiger Muay Thai ahead of UFC 273.
His hunger to evolve and willingness to learn is what has established Chimaev as a top prospect in recent times.
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