UFC middleweight fighter Cody Brundage recently weighed in on Khamzat Chimaev potentially moving to the middleweight division. He also claimed that only two fighters could solve Chimaev’s grappling puzzle.
The Chechen-born Swede has established himself as one of the scariest opponents to face in the octagon. This due to his phenomenal grappling skills that have seen him dominantly finish most of his opponents. He is also undefeated in his career so far, with a record of 12-0. Chimaev last defeated Kevin Holland at UFC 279 via first-round submission.
In a recent exclusive interview with James Lynch, Cody Brundage discussed Chimaev potentially fighting Paulo Costa at middleweight. He named the two fighters in the middleweight division who he thinks could outwrestle ‘Borz’ and stated:
“His [Chimaev] wrestling is super elite. I think it’s not a great fight for Paulo Costa… No one’s really wrestled Paulo, we’ve never seen that, but Khamzat will. I don’t see anyone at 85′ [185-pound division], with the exception of maybe Bo Nickal and Robert Whittaker, that can really stop his wrestling. Cause he’s just that good.”
While undoubtedly an exciting addition to the middleweight division, ‘Borz’ failed to make weight in his last fight and has yet to compete against a top-ranked middleweight contender.
Meanwhile, Cody Brundage is set to face Rodolfo Vieira at UFC Fight Night 223 on April 29 in Las Vegas.
UFC middleweight champion’s coach is unhappy with Khamzat Chimaev potentially getting a title shot
City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman recently weighed in on a potential Israel Adesanya vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight and expressed his displeasure at the idea. ‘The Last Stylebender’ recently reclaimed the middleweight title against Alex Pereira at UFC 287 and was immediately called out by Chimaev.
Considering ‘Borz’s intention to move up to the 185-pound division, many began speculating about a potential title shot for the undefeated fighter. With Adesanya practically clearing the division, ‘Borz’ emerged as one possible opponent for the Nigerian-born Kiwi to consider facing next.
While the Chechen-born Swede has undoubtedly established himself as a real threat to the title, coach Bareman believes he hasn’t done enough to warrant a title fight so soon.
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Bareman addressed talks of Khamzat Chimaev facing Adesanya, stating:
“Has Khamzat fought at middleweight yet? We can’t be ridiculous… You’re just devaluing the organization, you’re devaluing the sport, you’re devaluing everything that we’ve stood for.”
Watch the full interview below: