Is Khamzat Chimaev going to make it to UFC 308 to fight Robert Whittaker healthy? Chimaev thinks heโs found the secret to not going to the clinic. The Chechen โBorzโ mentioned changes in camp recently for his five-round scrap. Even if he gets past Whittaker, then itโs a matter of being a brand value champ Stateside. He thinks it all depends on GOP Nominee Donald Trump for that matter.
Robert Whittaker takes on Khamzat Chimaev at the UFC 308 Pay-per-view event from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Whittaker knows Chimaev will test his grapple and has trained hard for it. Having fought and beaten Yoel Romero twice and Ronaldo Souza, this isnโt the first reaping. Both fighters are amping their game. However, a win and a subsequent title shot wonโt matter if the Chechen canโt be Stateside. Donald Trump could be his beacon of hope.
I don’t know โ we’ll see, โฆAs they promise me title eliminator every time. When I fought Glibert Burns it was Number one contender fight. After Usman fight I don’t get the title shot eitherโฆAs long as Donald Trump is not president we cannot come back to USโฆ[laughs] Maybe that’s the reason, let’s not cover the truthโฆ[chuckles] Of course, he is a Republican like Dana White. I think they will be friends with Russia again.
Khamzat Chimaev for the โHustleโ Vlog; ๐ฅ : @adam.zuba/IG
Handing Chimaev his first career skid divides โThe Reaperโ from the pack at 185 pounds. While defeating Robert Whittaker means the Team Allstars Training Center fighter separates himself as a No. 1 contender for gold. โBorzโ, 30 was promised a top contender spot in his war with Gilbert Burns. While it showed his pecks of holes, many believe the fight makes it to a HOF someday. His UFC 294 Pay-per-view majority decision did not help a top contender debate either.
Subsequently, the fighter now hopes that the third time is the charm. With heavy sanctions against Chechen leaderย Ramzan Kadyrov, and regulations for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he is without a Stateside passport. However, Team Borz says it did not even apply for one. With Republican Nominee Donald Trump at the helm, he hopes that will change.
Deterrents to winning? Khamzat Chimaev vows โbetter approachโ next
Even though clothed in the cogs of Executive Order 13769, Donald Trumpโs executive travel ban has been on the lax up a lot. His intentions of peace with the Middle East and his accord with his โfavorite fighterโ of global recognition Khabib Nurmagomedov have eased the matter. The possible 47th GOP presidential helmsman is a good hope for Khamzat Chimaev to return.
The welterweight โboogeymanโ has not fought Stateside since his first-round submission victory over Kevin Holland at UFC 279. But travel issues are not the only problem for the berserker who has such an explosive lean-in and striking. The freestyle wrestler has incorporated changes from Team Tiger Muay Thai (TMT) but still falls sick due to his practicing pace.
Chimaev was to meet Robert Whittaker for a No. 1 contender eliminator matchup. This was to be back in June for UFCโs fight night debut show in Saudi Arabia. He was hospitalized multiple times and โReaperโ blew out a new opponent for fight night top bill UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov. Now, Khamzat Chimaev is promising changes.
They now let me rest and recover properly, โฆI use to go to the gym and just train until I was done. But, then I end up in the hospital like the last time when I was in hospital three times in a row within three weeks. My immune system went down. Now, I use better approach. I work with good coaches, raised a lot of world champions โฆ I am going to take a big step forward.
Khamzat Chimaev for the โHustleโ Vlog; ๐ฅ : @zubayraev
โBorzโ is now training in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic at the foot of Mount Elbrus. His original wrestling coach and lineup now join new UFC 308 camp members for better conditioning.
Former champion Israel Adesanya and current champion Dricus Du Plessis are Whittakerโs only losses at 185. So, he is in the running for top dog at all times. If he can get past the perennial middleweight for a feature title eliminator, Chimaev can sure earn a shot at gold. That is if UFC CEO Dana White still awards his defiant conditions and unprofessional conduct. How he operates stateside is an issue for another day; for now โ he has plans to improve camp.