"We would have been done in two rounds" - Khamzat Chimaev’s coach Andreas Michael reveals what his game plan was for fighting Gilbert Burns

Khamzat Chimaev is coming off a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Gilbert Burns, whom he faced at UFC 273 on April 9. Speaking to ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Chimaev’s coach Andreas Michael has now provided an insight into what their game plan was for the fight against Burns.

During the UFC 273 post-fight press conference, Khamzat Chimaev himself suggested that his obsession with knocking out Burns and pursuing the KO is what made the fight tougher than it should’ve been.

Echoing similar sentiments, Andreas Michael revealed that ‘Borz’ made a mistake of chasing the KO against Burns rather than chipping away and waiting for it to eventually materialize. Recalling their original game plan for the fight, Michael stated:

“For me, it’s like, this fight, I was absolutely not satisfied. Because I think that an easy evening turned out – All he needed to do was just use his jab and sometimes throw the right hand. And I think we would have been done in two rounds. You know, just keep your distance; don’t fall into the shot, so you don’t get caught with the hooks.”

Watch Andreas Michael’s conversation with Brett Okamoto in the video below:

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Gilbert Burns foresees Kamaru Usman beating Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev is lobbying for a fight against Colby Covington, a win over whom would most likely earn him a UFC title shot. Presently, the UFC welterweight title is held by Kamaru Usman, who’s expected to defend against Leon Edwards next. Needless to say, it’s likely that Chimaev and Usman could cross paths sooner rather than later.

In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Gilbert Burns addressed a potential Usman-Chimaev matchup. ‘Durinho’ emphasized that while Chimaev’s going to gradually improve, Usman would beat him if they were to clash right now. Burns said:

“The difference – as of right now for sure – after this war, that guy’s going to get better, I believe. I’m gonna get better; he’s [Chimaev’s] gonna get better. But the IQ of Kamaru Usman, if I’ve gotta answer that question right now, will be the difference. Kamaru is a very intelligent and tested fighter. He’s been in the wars, he’s been against the best guys around, and I think Kamaru’s MMA wrestling is better than Khamzat’s.”

'Durinho' admitted that perhaps he’s a bit biased because he’s previously trained alongside Kamaru Usman as teammates at the world-renowned Sanford MMA gym. Regardless, he believes that Usman’s experience will help him beat ‘Borz.’

Burns opined that Kamaru Usman hits harder than Khamzat Chimaev, as evidenced by the fact that the welterweight champion knocked Burns out in their UFC 258 fight whereas Chimaev couldn’t.