Getty Khamzat Chimaev poses on the UFC scale.
UFC stars Khamzat Chimaev and Darren Till’s new friendship has been one of the bigger storylines in the mixed martial arts community, but former light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier thinks it’s a mistake that they’re getting so close.
Till, from England, and Chimaev, who was born in Chechnya, Russia, but has resided in Sweden for years, started training together at Chimaev’s gym a few weeks back.
And since then, they’ve created a YouTube show and have been featured on different podcasts together. They also attended UFC 272 last month as a duo.
Well, Cormier thinks it’s better for Chimaev to remain in the shadows and continue to add to his mystique. That’s what he said during a recent interview with MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin.
“I love the whole buddy buddy thing with Darren Till,” Cormier said via Low Kick MMA. “(But) I think it’s a mistake. I think he should continue to be a mystery to people. I think he should spend as little time in front of the public, and showing who he is, pulling the curtain back. I would pull the curtain back as little as I could if I’m Khamzat. Just because the mystery is good for him.”
DC Sees Chimaev as the ‘Scariest Contender’ in Recent Memory
Cormier, a former two-division UFC champion, has been impressed with Chimaev’s Octagon rise. “Borz” is 10-0 as a professional mixed martial artist and 4-0 in the UFC, finishing all four of his opponents while only being hit by one significant strike in total.
Chimaev currently sits at No. 11 in the promotion’s official ranking, and he’s set to take on No. 2 Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 on April 9 in Jacksonville, Florida. Although Chimaev has only fought one ranked opponent and “Durinho” is a former 170-pound title challenger, Borz is a sizeable favorite going into the contest.
At the time of this writing, Chimaev is a -525 favorite and Burns is a +415 underdog, as per 5Dimes. During his interview with Martin, DC gave his take on the odds.
“I think he’s the scariest contender we have seen for a while,” Cormier said. “The odds may seem high… But if you think he’s gonna win that fight which a lot of people do, then the odds don’t really matter. But I do believe that he’s the most scary contender we’ve had for a while.”
Burns Has Enlisted the Help of Kamaru Usman Ahead of UFC 273
Burns is pulling out all the stops to halt the Chimaev hype train. And he recently told TMZ Sports that welterweight king Kamaru Usman has been in the gym helping him prepare for April 9th.
Burns challenged Usman for the 170-pound strap last year at UFC 258 but fell short, losing to “The Nigerian Nightmare” via third-round TKO. However, Burns hasn’t kept any resentment toward Usman, embracing the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in a coach-like role.
“Usman came a couple of days to help out,” Burns said via MMA Mania. “He was helping me a couple of times, not training with me but kinda coaching. Kind of on the side giving a lot of advice in my last three or four sparrings. Very high IQ and very good advice. Was good to have him around.”