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Aleksandar Rakic has asserted that Khamzat Chimaev clearly defeated Gilbert Burns. Chimaev bested Burns via unanimous decision in a closely-contested welterweight bout at UFC 273 on April 9th.
In an edition of MMA Pros React with James Lynch, Rakic discussed the fight and stated:
“This kid showed heart. And, man, he can take a punch. And he showed toughness. And for me, he clearly won that fight. He put a lot of pressure on Gilbert. Gilbert was, yes, he connects a couple of times, but Khamzat [did] as well. But putting pressure, and being dominating, and searching the fight, searching the exchange; the judges like to see that."
Aleksandar Rakic added that the Chimaev-Burns matchup was really interesting. ‘Rocket’ explained that 'Borz' showcased a lot of heart and significant improvements, adding that the grueling fight would benefit the Russian-born Swede in his mixed martial arts career.
Rakic cautioned the 27-year-old not to rush into a UFC title fight and instead experience a five-round fight against someone else before facing the champion. He highlighted that Chimaev is still young and has plenty of time and a bright future in MMA.
Furthermore, Rakic revealed that he’s been to the Allstars Training Center in Sweden, which is where Chimaev trains. He lauded the Allstars fighters for training incredibly hard and proceeded to send his best wishes to Chimaev.
Watch Aleksandar Rakic address the Chimaev-Burns matchup in the video below:
Michael Bisping breaks down a potential Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington fight
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is expected to defend his title against Leon Edwards, while Khamzat Chimaev is likely to fight Colby Covington. Defeating Covington would potentially earn Chimaev a title shot against the Usman-Edwards winner.
Taking to his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping addressed a possible Chimaev-Covington matchup. He indicated that while Covington has impressive wrestling credentials, Chimaev enjoys a size advantage.
He recalled that Chimaev was a Swedish wrestling champion, which, coupled with his size, could help him outwrestle Covington. Insinuating how evenly matched they are, Bisping said:
"Striking-wise, again, Khamzat’s taller, and he’s longer. And if he develops a game plan, then maybe we could see him get the striking advantage. Experience goes to Colby Covington, without question. Conditioning and pace? They’ve both got good conditioning and pace, but Colby’s is on another level, so we’ll give him the advantage there.”
Watch the full breakdown by Bisping below:
