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Brian Stann has suggested that Khamzat Chimaev shouldn’t be rushed into a fight against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. The undefeated Chimaev is coming off a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Gilbert Burns whom he faced at Saturday’s UFC 273 event.
UFC president Dana White has indicated that Chimaev could be scheduled to fight the No.1-ranked UFC welterweight Colby Covington next. Meanwhile, Chimaev has asserted that he’s willing to face any top-tier welterweight, be it Covington or Usman.
In the latest edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight fighter Brian Stann addressed Khamzat Chimaev’s future and stated:
“I think at this point, it would make sense, if I’m managing him – Hey, don’t be in such a rush because the reward is Kamaru Usman. And if you wanna try and beat that monster, you’ve gotta hope that he’s getting real comfortable, and making a lot of money, and wearing all the name brands, and not training as hard. Because, athletically and mentally right now, Kamaru Usman could be the best fighter on the planet.”
The former UFC commentator lauded the 27-year-old for his gritty performance against an elite welterweight like Burns. He also opined that Covington would be a good, albeit tough, matchup for Chimaev next.
Furthermore, ‘The All-American’ emphasized that if he managed Chimaev, he’d give him more time and more experience to develop before letting him fight Usman. Addressing a possible Chimaev-Usman matchup, Stann said:
“I don’t know that he’s ready and can smash Kamaru. I don’t believe he can smash Kamaru like he might say. He has to think that way. But there’s nobody walking in the octagon and just walking through Kamaru. Not gonna happen.”
Watch Brian Stann’s conversation with Ariel Helwani in the video below:
Khamzat Chimaev vows to knock Colby Covington out
Khamzat Chimaev took his professional MMA record to 11-0 and UFC record to 5-0 with his win over Burns at UFC 273. ‘Borz’ subsequently spoke to BT Sport’s Caroline Pearce and discussed a potential fight against former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington.
While the Chechnya-born Swedish MMA stalwart acknowledged Covington’s toughness, he warned that he’ll knockout ‘Chaos’ when they face off inside the octagon. Khamzat Chimaev said:
"Nothing! That guy is like a little bit tough guy, but not my level. [I'm] gonna go and knock him out."
Reigning UFC welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman is expected to defend his title in a rematch against Leon Edwards at UFC 276 on July 2. The winner of the Usman-Edwards rematch could then go on to defend the title against the winner of the Chimaev-Covington matchup.
