5. Khamzat Chimaev has potential
[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] made his name known to a whole new section of the MMA world with a memorable debut performance against John Phillips. It was total mauling from the outset until he finally locked in a D’Arce choke for the finish early in the second round.
Admittedly, I didn’t know a ton about Chimaev coming in. My colleague Farah Hannoun has been singing his praises, though, which made me take interest. What I found out before he stepped in the octagon was impressive, but the one-sided nature of his performance exceeded expectations.
From all indications, this wasn’t even Chimaev at his best, either. He fought at middleweight when he’s typically a welterweight, and we know the pandemic and circumstances around these events in Abu Dhabi means a lesser product from everyone to some degree.
Chimaev’s potential is very exciting, and it should be interesting to see how UFC matchmakers decide to book him now that he has a little hype.
[jwplayer DPcEYSeY-RbnemIYZ]