As the highly anticipated bout between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev approaches at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, ‘Borz’ shed light on his aggressive fighting style.
Known for his relentless pace, Chimaev spoke with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto ahead of his first scheduled five-round fight, explaining why he doesn’t conserve his energy for later rounds, unlike fighters such as Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad:
“I’m not the guy who just saving my [stamina] you know… I always try to finish my opponent. I don’t try to, like a lot of guys does like Leon Edwards, like Belal Muhammad… a lot of you see guys just save themselves to go five rounds, decision. I’m always like, blame myself. I can finish anyone, so that’s why I’m going all in.”
While Whittaker is a seasoned fighter with multiple five-round battles under his belt, this fight will mark Chimaev’s first chance to fight beyond three rounds in the UFC. This raises concerns about how his cardio will fare in the championship rounds.
Check out Khamzat Chimaev‘s comments below (6:21):