Getty Khamzat Chimaev punches Gilbert Burns
Some UFC fans have questioned the cost of Khamzat Chimaev’s friendship with Darren Till, however “Borz” recently shut that chatter down.
Chimaev is a few weeks removed from his all-time welterweight clash with Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. “Borz” entered the Octagon as a favorite over the former 170-pound title challenger, and many viewed the fight as a virtually guaranteed victory for Chimaev considering he had been so dominant up until then.
And Chimaev did get his hand raised, but it was anything but dominant. The fight was a back-and-forth war for three rounds that left both men battered, bloodied and bruised. Burns and Chimaev were both dropped during the contest but as history has it, Chimaev was crowned the victor via unanimous decision.
One of the bigger storylines going into the fight was Chimaev’s new friendship with his fellow UFC combatant, Till. The two recently began training together in Sweden and they also started their “Smesh Bros” YouTube series.
They did media rounds together and were both actively promoting their relationship via social media.
Further, in one of the most viral MMA pictures of the year, Chimaev entered the cage before Burns at UFC 273, and while he waited for the Brazilian to get into the Octagon, he sat on top of the cage alongside Till.
Chimaev Blamed His UFC 273 Performance on His Emotions, Not Till
Well, some apparently believe Chimaev didn’t run through “Durinho” in the way he should have because of Till’s pre-fight presence. And Borz was recently questioned about it during an interview with Hustle MMA.
Chimaev said he doesn’t put any stock into his new friendship. Instead, he blamed his performance on being too emotional.
“There is no bad influence,” Chimaev said via MMA Mania. “It’s all good. How could it be if he [Darren Till] helped with a training camp? Nothing has changed. I just messed up in the fight and that’s it. That’s the only reason. I was emotional. To be honest, it was a good lesson and I’m happy with the outcome.”
Daniel Cormier Called Chimaev & Till’s Friendship ‘A Mistake’
Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier said ahead of UFC 273 that he believed the two fighters’ friendship was a mistake, specifically for Chimaev. “DC” wanted Chimaev to hold onto as much mystique as possible, and he saw that Borz was losing some of it because of his relationship with “The Gorilla.”
“I love the whole buddy buddy thing with Darren Till,” Cormier said in an interview earlier this month with MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin (transcribed 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.”
Chimaev has a professional mixed martial arts record of 11-0 and after he defeated Burns, he was elevated to the No. 3 spot in the official UFC welterweight rankings.
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