Jon Anik Believes Khamzat Chimaev Already Has the Blueprint to Defeat Sean Strickland
Jon Anik has some advice for Khamzat Chimaev before the latter runs it back with Sean Strickland.
Chimaev was dethroned by Strickland at UFC 328. The bout, which many thought would be a one-sided affair for “Borz”, did not play out in his favour. Although the 32-year-old had a strong opening round, “Tarzan” began taking control from the second. The Chechen-born Emirati was forced to abandon his usual wrestling-heavy approach and opted to stand and trade with Strickland.
After five razor-close rounds, Strickland edged out Chimaev by split decision.
Many believe that a brutal weight cut was the reason for Chimaev’s title loss, and now “Borz” has made it clear that he wants to face Strickland again and reclaim the throne before moving up in pursuit of two-division glory.
The UFC brass haven’t decided if they will grant Chimaev the immediate title rematch. Meanwhile, the current and two-time middleweight champion is on the sidelines with a shoulder injury for which he recently underwent stem cell therapy.
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Jon Anik shared some advice for Khamzat Chimaev before the potential Sean Strickland rematch. Anik believes Chimaev’s camp needs to ensure he does not waste too much energy, be it emotional or physical, during fight week so that on fight night, Chimaev has a full tank to wrestle, grapple, and show his dominance.
Secondly, the UFC commentator added that Khamzat Chimaev needs to adopt the same mindset as Khabib Nurmagomedov and understand that anything can happen during a fight. Thus, if “Borz” is unable to secure a finish against Strickland in a rematch, Anik believes he should stick to the wrestling-heavy approach he used against Dricus du Plessis rather than just standing and banging. Anik said:
“Khabib’s mentality is that anything can go wrong in a fight, and that’s how you need to approach it if you want to win. If a finish comes, great, but you need to Dricus Du Plessis this guy, Sean Strickland. That needs to be your approach.”
“There was so much energy seemingly expended by Khamzat leading up to the fight. If I were Team Chimaev, I’d be looking at every little thing we do and making sure we conserve as much energy as possible for fight night so we can wrestle, grapple, and impose our dominance on Strickland.”
Check out Jon Anik’s comments about Khamzat Chimaev below:
Chimaev dethroned du Plessis with ease at UFC 319. In that bout, “Borz” landed a total of 529 strikes, scored 12 takedowns, and had a control time of 21 minutes and 40 seconds. Although Chimaev hunted for a submission, he failed to get one, but did abandon the game plan.
Khamzat Chimaev can also follow Dricus du Plessis’ game plan against Sean Strickland
Dricus du Plessis has not only dethroned Sean Strickland but also beaten him in a rematch. During those 2 title bouts, du Plessis had a difficult time whenever Strickland established his jab, but the South African refused to back down. He mixed up his attack, scored takedowns, and never allowed the American to dictate the pace. Whenever Strickland pressed forward, du Plessis consistently targeted his legs to disrupt his rhythm. In the second fight, he also broke Strickland’s nose.
Khamzat Chimaev can take a page out of Dricus Du Plessis’ playbook, as “Stillknocks” has the perfect answer to how to beat “Tarzan.”
