There was a time within the not-too-distant previous when former UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, was unimpressed with “rat lip” Khamzat Chimaev, an up-and-coming middleweight who was “probably not related” within the 185-pound title image.
Quick-forward to early 2025 and “Borz” stays undefeated within the middleweight division, with a success record that features former division titleholder Robert Whittaker. In actual fact, that violent submission victory (see it right here) was sufficient to place Adesanya on discover.
“He’s actually good,” Adesanya informed reporters in the course of the UFC Saudi Arabia media day (by way of The Mac Life). “When he fought Gilbert Burns was the one I had respect for him, I used to be like okay, he’s received that canine in him, he can struggle, he can dig deep and he can nonetheless swing. However when he fought Rob and beat him the best way he did, it made me take discover. Like okay, I gotta watch out with this man, be careful for this man.”
Adesanya (24-4) and Chimaev (14-0) are separated by only one spot within the newest UFC middleweight rankings, however that pecking order might change if “The Final Stylebender” falls to Nassourdine Imavov within the UFC Saudi Arabia headliner this weekend in Riyadh.
Chimaev is presently unbooked and that standing is unlikely to vary till after the UFC 312 pay-per-view (PPV) card subsequent month in Sydney, the place Dricus Du Plessis defends the middleweight title in a rematch in opposition to former champion Sean Strickland.
