Khamzat Chimaev: Darren Till deems Islam Makhachev a tougher match for Khamzat Chimaev than Magomed Ankalaev

Darren Till believes that Islam Makhachev could potentially give Khamzat Chimaev more trouble in the cage than Magomed Ankalaev.

Chimaev recently captured the middleweight title after defeating Dricus du Plessis via unanimous decision at UFC 319 earlier this month. The Chechen-born fighter put on an incredible grappling display and dominated his South African opponent on the ground over five rounds.

In the aftermath, Ankalaev expressed an interest in facing Chimaev if he chose to move up to light heavyweight. Given that the Chechen-born grappling savant has previously expressed his intention of becoming a three-division champion, a move to 205 pounds may potentially be on the cards for him in the future. However, Till doesn't believe Ankalaev has what it takes to beat Chimaev.

Speaking to Bloody Elbow ahead of his boxing match against Luke Rockhold at Misfits Boxing 22 this weekend, the Englishman was asked who could give Chimaev trouble in the welterweight or light heavyweight division. He replied:

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I reckon Islam, if Islam goes up to 170 [pounds], I think that’s a good fight. Ankalaev is the champ [at 205 pounds], but I think he beats Ankalaev. I think Islam is a hard fight for him, I really do."

Darren Till reacts to Khamzat Chimaev's title win over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319

Darren Till recently shared his thoughts on Khamzat Chimaev's title win over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 earlier this month. Till lauded Chimaev for his grappling skills and claimed 'Borz' had no equal when it came to ground game.

Speaking to Bloody Elbow, Till reacted to Chimaev's title-winning performance and said:

"His grappling is next to none. The way he puts it all together is phenomenal; you can’t fault it in any way... I’m sure he’ll be watching Saturday. I thought it was brilliant from a grappling aspect, I thought it was technical, he done everything he needed to do to get the win, and it was brilliant, I loved watching it. You can’t always get the finish, and he’s the champion now, so let’s see who can overthrow him." [H/t: Bloody Elbow]

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Edited by Nishant Zende.