UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski has a bold prediction for Khamzat Chimaev’s upcoming fight against Gilbert Burns.
Chimaev (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) meets his sternest test to date in former title challenger Burns (20-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) at UFC 273 on April 9.
Although the odds have Chimaev as a big favorite, reigning featherweight featherweight titleholder Volkanovski (23-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC), who puts his belt on the line against Chan Sung Jung (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in the UFC 273 main event, thinks “Borz” will not only win, but he’ll make it look easy.
“Obviously he’s got a lot of hype,” Volkanovski told reporter James Lynch. “So, people that don’t really know the sport are expecting him to win but people that really do know the sport are probably – ‘Yeah Burns on the ground, you know world champion’. They’ll be surprised if Chimaev goes out there and just mauls him, and I feel like that’s what gonna happen. I feel like that is where Chimaev is at right now. I think he is actually gonna go out there and show some dominant performance which is gonna be pretty incredible against someone like Burns.”
He continued, “If he goes out there and does that – I think he’s the real deal, but that’ll really make everyone be like, ‘Oh damn, this guy is the real deal.’ So that’s what I’m expecting. I’m expecting Chimaev to go out there and dominate and it’s no easy task, but I’m just saying that’s how good I think that Chimaev is.”
According to Tipico, unbeaten Chimaev is a whopping -475 favorite over the much more experienced Burns, who is a +320 underdog. Should Chimaev emerge victorious, he is expected to face the winner of welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards, which is targeted for July.
Alexander Volkanovski expects ‘real deal’ Khamzat Chimaev to dominate Gilbert Burns
