Daniel Cormier Believes Khamzat Chimaev May Struggle to Make 185 Pounds
Daniel Cormier believes Khamzat Chimaev is very heavy right now and may struggle to get back down to 185 pounds for the first defense of his UFC middleweight championship.
The Chechen-born Emirati is rumored to face Nassourdine Imavov next. He is currently recovering from a minor foot injury and is expected to enter the octagon after Ramadan.
Recent training footage shows “Borz” striking with Khalil Rountree Jr. and Luke Rockhold.
“DC” convinced Khamzat Chimaev is a 205-pounder already
Although Daniel Cormier initially doubted that Khamzat Chimaev could be effective at 205 pounds, the new training clips have convinced “DC” that “Borz” has all the tools and physicality to compete in the UFC light heavyweight division.
In a recent YouTube video on his channel, Cormier said:
“When Khamzat Chimaev started expressing interest in fighting at 205 [pounds], I was a bit hesitant because it wasn’t that long ago he was fighting at 170… I thought if Khamzat has to fight at 205, he would be running up against guys that would be just too big for him, and at some point, that has to become an issue.”
However, after watching Chimaev spar with “The War Horse” and Rockhold, “DC” is convinced the former “looks like a monster at over 200 pounds.” He added:
Then I saw a video of him sparring with Khalil Rountree. His back looked massive. He looks like a 205-pound fighter already. And then I watched a video of him sparring with Luke Rockhold, who is all of 6’4″ and 227 pounds right now. I’m not talking about the skill level of Rockhold today. I’m talking about the size of Rockhold today. Khamzat Chimaev looks just as big, if not bigger.”
The UFC Hall of Famer is convinced that Chimaev can fight and find success at 205 pounds:
“Then when you watch the videos, you watch the sparring; you watch him and Khalil Rountree Jr. striking… I’m not an untrained eye. It looks to me like Khamzat is winning the striking against Khalil Rountree, who is an amazing striker. I’m watching him kick with Luke, and he’s kicking with the same power as Luke. I have to be honest, guys. I don’t know that this kid could not fight at 205 pounds. I really do believe that he’s able to fight in this weight class.”
Daniel Cormier also believes Khamzat Chimaev still has unfinished business at middleweight. However, if he moves up and locks horns with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, he could pose serious problems for “Poatan,” who lacks a wrestling background and could potentially be ragdolled by “Borz.
In the same video, Cormier also added that Khamzat Chimaev might struggle to get back down to 185 pounds for the potential Imavov bout.
“I’d imagine that Khamzat is here in the United States preparing for that fight with Imavov. That would be my guess if I were, uh, thinking about what’s next. But the reality is one: how difficult is it going to be for him to get back down to 185? Because I’m telling you, he looks massive next to Rountree. Two, how will he compete when he’s back down there? And three, how does Imavov deal with the size of Khamzat Chimaev at this point?”
“Chimaev looks like the bigger guy. He looks like the much bigger fighter now. I’m telling you, you guys have to watch have to watch that training footage. He looks like a monster at over 200 pounds.”
Check out Daniel Cormier’s comments about Khamzat Chimaev below (1:04):
