He redefined “bursting on the scene” when he scored three finishes in his first three Octagon appearances over the course of two months, including two victories in 10 days. A battle with COVID-19 delayed his fourth appearance for 13 months, but he looked more dominant than ever as he (quite literally) picked up his fourth finish in a row.
It took less than eight minutes for the mystique of “Borz” to kick into overdrive. Since then, he spent more time in the Octagon—including two wins via decision—and the mystery has faded ever so slightly, but the excitement around Chimaev’s potential hasn’t.
WATCH: UFC 319 Embedded
His next four fights provided more than a half-hour of tape on Chimaev, a bounty compared with the first half of his UFC tenure. A dizzying experience on the scale at UFC 279 gave plenty of reason for pause (although his performance against Kevin Holland was just as dominant), but then Chiamev scored his best wins to-date: a decision over former welterweight king Kamaru Usman and a lightning-quick submission win over Robert Whittaker. Both came in Abu Dhabi, and both fights proved Chimaev as a legitimate contender at 185 pounds.
Still, questions linger as he approaches his first crack at UFC gold at UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev in Chicago. Chief among them is his bill of health. Struggles cutting weight and making it through a camp healthy have followed Chimaev, but he and his team believe they’ve addressed those issues ahead of August 16. A big part of that plan includes reigning Chimaev in during camp. Notorious for overtraining, Chimaev’s team has advised the title challenger on when he must rest and recover, resulting in the most dangerous version of one of the most dangerous fighters in the world.
