標籤: Khamzat

Dustin Poirier believes Khamzat Chimaev’s status in the middleweight division took a meaningful hit at UFC 328 in Newark on Saturday night, and he believes whoever faces Chimaev next will walk away with less psychological damage than previous opponents.

Speaking on UFC on Paramount+ after the show, Poirier also took direct aim at the post-fight moment between Chimaev and Sean Strickland, suggesting that the reconciliation revealed some uneasiness about the entire buildup.

“In the next fight, no matter who he faces, it will be hard to scare him because his aura has been damaged this week,” Poirier said. “With the back-and-forth, I thought it was real. I think it affected his whole aura this week. And putting the belt on Strickland — like, come on, man. He definitely worked for us.”

Poirier’s point lies in the fact that Chimaev created a unique figure in the sport. The undefeated record was an important part of his mystique, but there was also a sense of danger that surrounded him in preparation for every fight.

The conversation between Strickland and Chimaev before UFC 328 turned into some of the harshest pre-fight trash talk in recent memory, touching on religion, ethnicity, and physical threats, which made the confrontation truly unsettling.

In Poirier’s view, Chimaev’s willingness to make peace with Strickland immediately after the final bell rang, diminished the authenticity of everything that preceded it. The entire fight was competitive. All three judges scored the contest two rounds each and the fifth round before two of them awarded the fight to Strickland in the final round and by split decision, giving Chimaev the first loss of his MMA career and stripping him of the middleweight championship.

Whether Chimaev gets an immediate rematch or Strickland defends against another challenger has not yet been confirmed by the UFC.

It certainly didn’t take long for Khamzat Chimaev to change his mind on what to do next after his defeat on Saturday night at UFC 328.

This weekend, Chimaev enters the first defense of his middleweight title as a heavy favorite against former champion Sean Strickland. Yet it didn’t take long to understand why the American was a popular upset pick, as he was capable of scoring takedowns and turning a lot of the fight into a standup war.

“Borz” was unable to dominate his wrestling, and after five tough rounds, he was defeated and lost his title by split decision. Prior to the bout, reports revealed that Chimaev had lost approximately 40 pounds, and he looked to be in poor shape during Friday’s weigh-in. Barely making the 185 pound limit.

He mentioned before the fight that he would like to move up to 205 pounds and reportedly told UFC CEO Dana White afterward that his middleweight move was complete. Well, it looks like the decision has been completely reversed.

Khamzat Chimaev now wants a rematch with Shawn Strickland

His team told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, “The rematch with Sean Strickland is the only fight Khamzat wants. He’s passionate about it.” “This is the only fight he’ll accept right now.”

This is a stunning 180 made by the former champion after all the evidence and rumors that he was moving up to light heavyweight. However, Chimaev noted that due to the excitement leading up to Saturday’s UFC 328 main event, he was set to receive the biggest payout of his career.

Additionally, there are many MMA experts who thought Chimaev did enough to earn the victory on Saturday night. Maybe the idea of ​​better weight loss, another big payday and a good chance for revenge has finally entered the 32-year-old’s mind.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

On Saturday night, the MMA world leaders return to Paramount+ for their latest mega event, UFC 328. The card inside New Jersey’s Prudential Center will feature 13 fights and a pair of championship matchups.

In the main event, middleweight king Khamzat Chimaev defends his title for the first time when he faces the challenge of former champion Sean Strickland. In the co-headlining, new UFC flyweight champion Joshua Vann takes on the challenge of top contender Tatsuro Taira.

Bookies will have a lot of bets for Saturday’s matches. But which has the best chance of a big payout? We look at six potential upsets at UFC 328 to waste your hard-earned money.

Jeremy Stephens defeats King Green

One bout that has Fight of the Night potential is the bout between MMA greybeards King Green and Jeremy Stephens. With both men turning 40 this year, they are far from their prime, and have a combined 39 losses on their cage fighting resumes. That means this fight is completely unpredictable and can go either way.

Green is a big favorite among bookmakers for good reason. Stephens has not won an MMA fight in four years, and Green is on a two-fight win streak. However, they both have a lot of fight on their chin. However, “Lil Heathen” still has reset-button power in his hands, which could be a problem for weak chins.

Green will outlast Stephens, but there is a huge risk of pressing the restart button.

Jim Miller defeated Jared Gordon

UFC 328 features a matchup of tri-state graybeards when 42-year-old Jim Miller takes on 37-year-old Jared Gordon. New York native Gordon is a solid favorite as his New Jersey opponent is trying to squeeze whatever is left out of his body as a professional athlete.

Miller’s win over Damon Jackson in 2024 shows he is still dangerous. And only eight of Gordon’s 21 wins being knockouts is another big plus for Miller’s aging chin. Although he may struggle in Round 1, hopefully Miller will ultimately use his wrestling and pull off an upset victory in front of his home state fans.

Roman Kopylov defeated Marco Tullio Silva

Roman Kopylov is a sleeper underdog to keep an eye on at UFC 328. He has lost his last two and faces a dangerous striker in Marco Tullio Silva, who had scored four consecutive KO wins before a surprise defeat in November. Also, Silva is four years younger.

However, the devil is in the details, and Kopylov’s defeat came against high-level competition in Gregory Rodriguez and Paulo Costa. The Russian is also a very skilled striker with legitimate knockout talent. Look for him to use it and get back in the win column on Saturday.

William Gomis defeated Pat Sabbatini

Talented wrestler Pat Sabbatini returns to action at UFC 328 on Saturday and is the heavy favorite against France’s William Gomis. We all know how Western European talent struggles with wrestlers and maybe that’s why the Americans are the favorites.

However, Sabbatini will turn 36 later this year, and age catches up quickly on fighters, especially in the lower weight classes. Gomis is a skilled striker and good athlete who will do enough to avoid takedowns and earn a decision victory in New Jersey.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta defeated Alexander Volkov

One of the bigger bouts at UFC 328 – in terms of relevance and sheer size – is the heavyweight bout between top contender Alexander Volkov and red-hot Dominican Waldo Cortes-Acosta. A case could be made that the winner should be next in line for a title fight if Tom Aspinall doesn’t yet have his sights set on a return in the fall.

Volkov’s height is always a big problem for his opponents and he knows how to use it well. However, Cortes-Acosta is a slight underdog as he has scored three consecutive KO wins and is a much better athlete than he looks. Volkov should win due to his length and experience, but we are seeing an upset due to “Salsa Boy’s” speed and athleticism advantages.

Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev

All eyes will be on Saturday’s main event bout between Strickland and Chimaev at UFC 328 as they present huge tests for each other. Can the American be the first to slow down and stop Chimaev’s wrestling attack? What will he do if “Borz” can’t wrestle to victory and has to go into the deep end of the pool with the guy who has the best gas tank in the division?

What’s interesting about this matchup is that they have trained together, so Strickland has a feel for Chimaev’s strengths and techniques. This is a huge benefit for him. Don’t be surprised if the former champion loses the first three rounds, but his gas tank and output turned the tide in the second half of the fight, and he ultimately overpowered Chimaev to score a shocking TKO victory in the fifth round.

Chimaev is a big favorite and should win, but there are some unique elements to this fight that make it a worthwhile risk to bet against him.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev will make his first title defense against Sean Strickland on Saturday. The championship fight is set to headline UFC 328 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

After dethroning Dricus du Plessis for the 185-pound championship title last August, Chimaev (15-0) aims to maintain his undefeated record and solidify his status as a middleweight kingpin. Strickland (30-7) last won a championship two years ago. He’ll get another chance when he takes on one of the UFC’s top pound-for-pound fighters.

In anticipation of fight week, we take a look at the five greatest moments of “Borz’s” UFC run.

Khamzat Chimaev’s disastrous UFC debut

In July 2020, the native of Chechen Republic, Russia made his UFC debut with a professional record of 6-0. He defeated John Phillips. Within seconds of the opening round, Chimaev knocked him to the ground. Phillips struggled to get back to his feet throughout the round and Chimaev landed a total of 72 strikes in the first round alone. In the second round, Chimaev continued where he left off and defeated Phillips for the second time.

Just over a minute later, the Russian got Phillips to tap out for a Brabo choke. The quick outing was a big statement from Chimaev in his debut with a major MMA promotion.

Fastest 3-fight win streak in UFC history

In September 2020, Chimaev went up against Gerald Meerschaert. A single right hand effort was enough to knock out Meerschaert, as Chimaev earned a knockout victory at just 0:17 of the first round. This was the shortest period of his tenure with the UFC (but not of his professional career).

With the win, he earned his third consecutive Performance of the Night bonus. Chimaev also won his third consecutive fight in a span of just 66 days. This set a record for the fastest three-fight win streak in UFC history.

Out-Grappling a UFC Legend at UFC 294

Taking a step up in competition, Chimaev faces former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in October 2023. “The Nigerian Nightmare” possessed elite takedown defense and was only knocked down once in his UFC career.

However, Chimaev scored four takedowns against Usman, with 7:16 of control time remaining. Chimaev won by majority decision, defeating Usman 107–58 in total strikes. The decision victory over a former world champion proved Chimaev’s case as a high-caliber fighter.

Breaking Robert Whittaker’s jaw at UFC 308

Chimaev faced former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 in October 2024. With a first round loss, the undefeated prospect continued to showcase his fast speed and elite level of wrestling.

Eventually “Reaper” briefly tried to escape, but Chimaev pinned him back to the ground. With just over a minute remaining in the round, Chimaev induced Whittaker to tap to the face crank submission. This was only the second time Whittaker was defeated by submission in the UFC.

Winning gold at UFC 319

Last August at UFC 319, Chimaev got his first title shot against reigning UFC middleweight champion Du Plessis. “Stilnox” had one of the lowest takedown protections among top level fighters. This showed against Chimaev, who scored 12 takedowns and controlled the defending champion to a total of 21:40.

The challenger landed a total of 529 strikes compared to du Plessis’ total of 45. Another UFC record was set by Chimaev for most total strikes in a single fight.

In a completely uneven and one-sided fight, all three judges scored the fight 50–45, giving Chimaev the unanimous decision victory and his first World Championship title.

Born and raised in New York City, Jimmy Robles received a journalism degree from Queens College in 2017. Before… More About Jimmy Robles

卡姆扎特·奇馬耶夫現在想在 UFC 白宮卡上與亞歷克斯·佩雷拉對決。

奇馬耶夫自去年八月擊敗德里庫斯·杜普萊西斯加冕 UFC 中量級冠軍以來，就沒有再參加過比賽。

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隨後，“Borz”提出了提升體重級別的想法，試圖成為 UFC 兩個級別的冠軍。

去年12月，這位不敗的俄羅斯-阿聯酋拳手在與輕重量級冠軍佩雷拉對決之前，透露了他捍衛中量級腰帶的計劃。

他說他正在推動佩雷拉，因為UFC“將為此付出高昂的代價”，現在看來奇馬耶夫希望這場超級戰鬥能夠在UFC白宮上演。

卡姆扎特·奇馬耶夫告訴亞歷克斯·佩雷拉他將在白宮結束他

“我們去白宮吧，”奇馬耶夫週一通過 X 寫道。

“別擔心，我會很快解決掉你的，亞歷克斯·佩雷拉。”

他後來補充道：“所有巴西球迷都會告訴這個男孩，如果你不害怕，就告訴他去戰鬥。”

如果奇馬耶夫想首先衛冕中量級冠軍，UFC 最好採取行動，確保他及時為白宮比賽做好準備。

然而，促銷活動可能會決定將奇馬耶夫推遲到六月，屆時白宮演出預計將舉行。