Josh Thomson believes UFC standout Khamzat Chimaev has failed to live up to his hype.
Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) burst onto the UFC scene in the summer of 2020 when he made a historic 10-day turnaround, picking up finishes of John Phillips and Rhys McKee in two different weight classes.
Unbeaten Chimaev is undoubtedly a big star, with his past three wins coming over former title challenger Gilbert Burns, Kevin Holland and most recently ex-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at middleweight. But considering that Chimaev’s recent wins over Burns and Usman have been tightly contested, Thomson thinks his aura of invincibility has taken a hit.
“I said this the last time I saw him fight: I’m not sold on him yet,” Thomson said on his “Weighing In” podcast. “I’m not sold on Khamzat Chimaev. Everyone’s like, ‘You’re stupid, you’re being a hater.’ I’m like, ‘No, I don’t care what you guys say.’ I’ve been in the fight game a long, long time. Fighters come, fighters go. They explode onto the scene and guess what? Then they linger around for a little bit hoping to get back on track, and some of them never do, and some have a resurgence.
“Charles Oliveira is one of the guys that had a resurgence. A lot of guys before in the past never did. Melvin Guillard never did. He came on like fireworks and just kind of fizzled out and faded away, and I don’t even know where he’s at now. That’s no knock on him, That happens to a lot of fighters. I’m just using him as an example.”
Chimaev twice has been touted as the next title challenger at welterweight and middleweight, but neither came to fruition.
‘I’m not sold on Khamzat Chimaev’: Former UFC fighter, analyst explains why
