Khamzat Chimaev is scheduled to face Leon Edwards in just his fourth fight in the UFC. It is also worth noting that is just his tenth pro MMA fight which is insane considering Edwards already 21 fights and is on an 8 fight win streak. His last win was against Rafael Dos Anjos was a former UFC Champion and is a stud.
Leon Edwards’ last loss was against the current UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman. From the champion’s interview, he said that Edwards is one of the toughest fighters he has fought due to his unbreakable mentality. From then on, he is on an eight-fight winning streak.
There is no question that Chimaev has a lot of potential considering his impressive wrestling plus a knockout power that can turn the lights off of any fighter with one strike. His last win against Gerald Meerschaert ended in just 17 seconds which is only one significant strike landed.
In his first 3 and only fights in the UFC, he has only absorbed 2 significant strikes and finished all his opponents in finishes. Some fans nicknamed him “Khabig” because of his similarities with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. He then proved to everyone that he is not comparable with Khabib by Knocking out Gerald Meerschaert showing knockout power.
Dana White has taken a huge interest in Khamzat Chimaev, saying that the kid is special and has a lot of potentials to be a star. From being unranked to fighting Leon Edwards who is the #4 ranked Welterweight in just less than a year is an impressive thing to do. Although there is no question that Khamzat has been given special treatment by the UFC, what he did in such a short amount of time is something to behold of.
The question is if the UFC is pushing Khamzat too fast? Even the most talented UFC fighter, Jon Jones was not given such a fast step up for competition. Conor Mcgregor also fought many contenders before facing a top 5 opponent.
UFC is really pushing Khamzat Chimaev to be a top star in such a short amount of time. Khamzat could have fought Neil Magny who is a top 10 contender to prepare the level of competition gradually.
Will Khamzat be able to rise to the expectations of the UFC by beating Leon Edwards proving to everyone that is an elite contender in the UFC or will he get outmatched due to lack of experience in the pro-MMA stage. That question will be answered in January.
