Khamzat Chimaev Has a Secret Weapon: Bro Science PhD
T.J. Dillashaw shed some light on Khamzat Chimaev’s secret weapon heading into his first-ever UFC title fight.
On August 16, ‘Borz’ will step into the main event spotlight at UFC 319, challenging reigning and defending middleweight titleholder Dricus Du Plessis.
As it stands, Chimaev is a 2-to-1 favorite to leave Chicago as the new 185-pound champion next month.
However, many suspect that the Chechen’s gas tank may not hold up against Du Plessis’ unrelenting pace and pressure. Once upon a time, Dillashaw was leaning towards ‘DDP’ in the highly anticipated title tilt, but all of that changed once Dillashaw introduced ‘Borz’ to former applied mathematics teacher turned strength and conditioning coach Sam Calavitta.
“When I first looked at the fight, I picked Dricus du Plessis to win because of his cardio,” Dillashaw said on the Overdogs podcast. “But now, after introducing Khamzat to Sam Calavitta, my whole prediction changed. Chimaev is doing it right now, and I highly suspect he’s going to have an amazingly better gas tank for his next fight, and I think he’s going to get the win because of it.”
Dillashaw believes Khamzat Chimaev will be a ‘Different Animal’ at UFC 319
Teaching and coaching out of Yorba Linda, California, for the last 35 years, ‘Coach Cal’ has dedicated his time and expertise to helping fighters with complications related to overtraining, weight cutting, and recovery.
“Sam Calavitta’s got some killers in his garage. He does all his strength and conditioning in his garage, which is amazing,” Dillashaw continued. “It’s like Rocky-style training. So, Chimaev is doing it right now. He’s going to train the right way, make the weight better, and in turn, his cardio’s going to be better.”
“I introduced Chimaev to Sam Calavitta… that’s the guy who gave me my bro-science PhD and everything I’m talking about now. Chimaev’s with him, and if anyone can get his cardio to championship level, it’s Sam. You’ll see a different animal in this next fight.”
