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In a recent interview, Dominick Cruz took time to share some advice with Khamzat Chimaev. The former UFC bantamweight champion warned the rising welterweight of the downside of becoming a star in the sport of mixed martial arts.
'Borz' joined the UFC and caught the attention of the MMA world after breaking the modern company record of winning twice in just 10 days. Since then, he has gone on to further increase his fame, making light work of both Gerald Meerschaert and Li Jingliang, and earning a hard-fought victory in an instant classic against Gilbert Burns.
While speaking with Helen Yee, Dominick Cruz gave his opinion on how Khamzat Chimaev needs to deal with everything that comes next following his rise to stardom, saying:
"I think what's going to make the big difference for Khamzat is, from here, with all the fame, with all the light, with all the praise, with all the everybody talking about him, who does he choose as his leader... Right now, you're going to get all the leeches in the entire world coming to tell you why you need to coach and train with them... You got to stick with the people who started you, those are your leaders."
When asked who he would like to see the Chechen-born Swede face next, Cruz once again referred to making sure the welterweight puts his trust in those around him.
"If he finds the right leadership, they'll make that decision for him. It's not up to me, it's not up to the UFC, it's not up to Khamzat. I don't make those decisions, my leaders do for me... I'll pray that Khamzat does that for himself and his future."
Listen to everything the former bantamweight champion had to say about Chimaev in the video below:
Who's next for Khamzat Chimaev?
After coming out on top in his three-round Fight of the Year contender with Gilbert Burns, the 27-year-old proved a lot of doubters wrong and showed he deserves to sit with the elite in the division.
According to Dana White, Chimaev was set to be matched up with Colby Covington following his win over the Brazilian. However, reports have been quiet on the situation since.
With his impressive performance against Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 51, a welterweight clash between Belal Muhammad and Khamzat Chimaev to decide the next contender for Kamaru Usman could be on the horizon.
