r/MMA • u/DamnThatsInsaneLol • 6d ago
Media Khamzat Chimaev when asked about possibility of fighting Alex Pereira: “Bro I don’t care if he wins or loses against Ankalaev. If they give me good money, I’ll fight that guy. Why not?”
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u/theyoloGod Edddiiiieee 6d ago
Well we know how this is going lol
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u/Midnight--Verse 6d ago
Perreria would immediately get taken down and mauled if they fought.
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u/Maradona-GOAT 6d ago
Yeah like there's no chance Pereira doesnt get rolfstomped even worse than DDP.
Ankalaev on the other hand is a nightmare matchup for Chimaev. He has very good defensive wrestling, he's stronger than Khamzat and he could very easily KO him, his striking is better and faster
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u/southwest_barfight 6d ago
I can't believe youve made me want to see an Ankalaev fight you monster
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u/NewPositive3461 6d ago
It would actually be compelling as a 3 rd fight
That would allow Chimaev to hit the gas when needed against someone of Anks caliber
Will never everrrrrrrr happen but id get paramount+ for it if any ufc interns are reading
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u/Icy-Armour 6d ago edited 6d ago
People pretending ankalaev is boring never fails to amaze me.
He is one of the best strikers (especially counter strikers) in mma. People act like he is an mma wrestler. Look up his grappling stats in the ufc. He is primarily a kickboxer with great TDD.
The way he used hand fighting, southpaw to orthodox stance switch and foot work to completely neutralize Pereira's left hand was super impressive.
He was constantly pressuring Pereira and all Pereira had to do was to move forward to make the fight exciting. But he ran away for 5 rounds.
Rakic also did the same. They can't deal with the hand speed of Ank. He is probably the fastest LHW when it comes to hand speed.
https://v.redd.it/zvo9onlszvne1
Look at this, Pereira didn't land a single strike in this sequence. Who the fuck has done this to Pereira in the ufc without getting hurt/tagged. His hand speed and striking defense was too much for Pereira.
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u/ggrm8 6d ago
I really don’t get the boring Ank narrative. His striking is so good and he’s got insane power, idk what’s not to like. His personality may be boring but his fighting style def is not.
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u/Terrible_Matador 6d ago
Ank has had plenty of tepid fights. When he doesn’t have an aggressive opponent he tends to play a very passive low-volume game. He gets spectacular KOs when he fights guys who are happy to run onto punches like Walker and Cutelaba. And when he fights someone more tentative it becomes a slog (Santos, Oezdemir, Rakic & Pereira).
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u/thinkaskew 6d ago
I find this more to be a fight IQ kind of thing. Fight aggressive when it's called for, point fight when it's not.
It's not sexy, but he generally gameplans well and fights to win the fight rather than fighting to make a highlight reel.
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u/Terrible_Matador 6d ago
That's more or less the way I feel about it. He is a great fighter and has the potential to be an enduring champion. I personally find him to be boring as sin.
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u/moonwalkerHHH 6d ago
I want Ankalaev to remain champ just so that Khamzat's double champ dreams get ruined
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u/lneumannart 6d ago edited 6d ago
I gotta ask, which fight showed us that Ank is suck a powerhouse when it comes to defensive wrestling? I've watched a few of his matches and he was mostly doing his kickbox, which, yeah, he is good, but I have yet to see him wrestle in a high level.
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u/Shooter-__-McGavin 6d ago
Ankalaev on the other hand is a nightmare matchup for Chimaev. He has very good defensive wrestling, he's stronger than Khamzat and he could very easily KO him, his striking is better and faster
Their wrestling isn't even remotely on the same level, I think Khamzat gets him down regardless.
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u/No-Gift-2350 6d ago
He probably eventually gets a take down but much easier said than done
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u/evocater Daniel Cormier almost killed himself last week 6d ago
Yeah Ankalaev is no Islam but he's still a Dagestani. I'm sure he can negate it somewhat, similar to what Ikram did. I'd put his striking far above Khamzat's as well. It's actually quite an interesting matchup
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u/JoeRash92 6d ago
Ikram is sambo world champion thou, he probably has very high level of wrestling just doesn’t use it offensively
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u/UniqueDiamond7643 5d ago
Krylov took him down, Alex took him down & both these guys have negative wrestling skills
Said is also a kickboxer from Dagestan like Ank & got out wrestled by Martinez
If this was like a real wrestler, that was actually good at wrestling like Phil Davis or something i’d lean into this
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u/ItsMichaelScott25 United States Minor Outlying Islands 6d ago
Their wrestling isn't even remotely on the same level
I'm not being hyperbolic when I say this - the only person who is on Khamzat's MMA wrestling level is Khabib.
Now once they get to the ground Khamzat is more similar to Islam where his primary goal is to force a mistake to jump on the neck while Khabib's primary goal was to beat the ever living shit out of you. The primary difference between Khamzat and Islam on the ground is that Islam is a lot more crafty with his sub attempts and really has great variety when hunting the finish while Khamzat wants the back to force a mistake for the RNC or that get the front headlock position for a d'arce variation.
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6d ago
Nobody is close to Khamzat’s wrestling, khabib needed a cage to take people down. Both Islam and Khabib struggle with takedowns in the middle. Khamzat just needs to grab a limb anywhere in the octagon and he will finish the takedown
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u/ItsMichaelScott25 United States Minor Outlying Islands 6d ago
Khabib is the closest thing we've ever seen to Khamzat but I do tend to agree that Khamzat is the best MMA wrestler we've ever seen.
The one thing where I will kind of add because I do believe it matters and is someone of an equalizer - 155 is just a significantly more skilled division.
The scary thing to me is I don't think we've ever had to see Khamzat go to a plan B when it comes to wrestling. It's mostly always a double leg and if he doesn't get it right away he chases people and jumps on their back and gets them down. It's wild how he does it.
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6d ago
The way he violently ragdolled Kamaru Usman in round 1 was scary, like that’s a man who has the best TDD in the UFC and a lifetime wrestler getting smoked like that. Khabib and Islam are great but not at this level
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u/ItsMichaelScott25 United States Minor Outlying Islands 6d ago
Islam is probably the most well rounded (at least from top) grappler in the UFC. Islam is very very slick on the ground.
Khabib was the most violent grappler, particularly from the Michael Johnson fight onward. And he could keep it up for 5 rounds.
Khamzat is by far the most dominant. I'm not sold on the cardio yet because I just don't think DDP fought back at all in that fight. The only reason that fight didn't end up with a finish was because DDP was in a shell for the entire time they were on the ground.
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u/thinkaskew 6d ago
Ankalaev is so much larger than Khamzat. Sure, maybe he gets him down but it's going to be a serious chore doing it.
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u/trenbollocks 6d ago
Have we ever seen a Dagestani fight a Chechen in the UFC? Never going to happen. I agree that Ankalaev would beat Chimaev though
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u/Unlikely_Abies7556 6d ago edited 6d ago
I cant think of a chechen in the UFC other than Khamzat
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u/PooPooPeePe 6d ago
There were a few, not too many though. Most have issues getting a visa.
Adlan Amagov / Albert Duraev (was Chimaev’s coach vs DDP) / Mairbek Taisumov / Zubaira Tukhugov / Ismail Naurdiev / Khamzat Chimaev / Islam Dulatov / Zelim Imadaev / Magomed Bibulatov / Baisangur Jimmy
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u/Fun-Cut8055 6d ago
You are right but even if it wasn t UFC , he defeated Ikram Aliskierov which is currently in UFC aswell
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u/HYDRAlives 6d ago
Dagestan and Chechnya are not allies buddy
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u/Weggestossen 6d ago
The 2nd Chechen War literally started with Chechnya invading Dagestan lol. But in MMA fanology they all muslim, brazza
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u/jce_ Canada 6d ago
It's crazy how much this sub has flipped after the last fight. Before people even implying Khamzat had a chance against Alex got downvoted to oblivion
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u/thinkaskew 6d ago
Link some of those instances. I don't think anyone has ever thought that Pereira wouldn't get wrestlefucked by Khamzat.
Pereira actually surprised during the Ankalaev fight with his TDD, but it was 100% at the expense of any aggression, and Ank isn't even a wrestler.
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u/dyang44 🙏🙏🙏 Jon Jones Prayer Warrior 🙏🙏🙏 6d ago
It's almost like what chimaev did to ddp changed people's opinions lol
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u/maicii 6d ago
At LHW?
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u/gmdmd 6d ago
Seriously I think people are underestimating the natural weight advantage Alex carries.
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u/itsfeverdream 6d ago
yeah DDP is great but Alex is legit probably a good 25-30 pounds heavier, much longer, and a few inches taller.
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u/Odd-Fuel5750 6d ago
Being taller is a disadvantage in a wrestling context, and being longer helps but is nowhere near the advantage it can be in striking.
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u/Rosenvial5 6d ago
Khamzat used to compete at 205 in freestyle wrestling. Size and strength means jack shit when the difference in wrestling skill is that large, a guy like Khamzat could make mediocre wrestlers at heavyweight look silly.
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u/BenjyNews 6d ago
Wrestling 205 isn't UFC 205 because of thr different weight cutting rules.
Wrestling 205 is probably UFC MW or WW
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u/WeedMan571 6d ago
To be fair many forget Alex stuffed all of Ank’s takedowns IIRC
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u/whipfixed GOOFCON 2 6d ago
Don't let the Abe Lincoln beard fool you, Ank and Khamzat are two very different beasts.
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u/Icy-Armour 6d ago edited 6d ago
Come on say it with me:
"Ankalaev is a kickboxer and not an mma wrestler"
Look up his grappling stats in the ufc. He has 12 KOs in his resume with some of them being more brutal than Pereira's.
Just because he is from dagestan doens't mean he is an mma wrestler like Khabib or Islam.
Pereira vs Ankalaev was basically a kickboxer vs kickboxer matchup and Ank outstriked Pereira. The majority of the fight was only striking (with just 6 mins of clinch work)
Don't pat Pereira's back for stopping takedowns since ank is not an offensive mma grappler.
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u/Yerbulan 6d ago
But... but... his name is Magomed...???
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u/JigglesTheBiggles 6d ago
I was sure his name was Muhammad 😂
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u/vannucker 6d ago edited 6d ago
John, Jean, Giovanni, Johann, Sean, Ivan, Ioannas.
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u/almoostashar GOOFCON 1: 2: Pandemic Boogaloo 6d ago
I don't understand how people think Ankalaev is a grappler with the way he lost to Paul Craig.
Like, he's better at it than most LHW fighters, because most LHW fighters can barely pull off a proper handshake.
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u/evocater Daniel Cormier almost killed himself last week 6d ago
While this is true, I'm still more confident in his wrestling defence than DDP or Poatan
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u/Alarmed-Cheetah-1221 6d ago
I don't think they did. I think most people just recognise that Chimaev is in a different stratosphere when it comes to wrestling.
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u/pxak Scotland 6d ago
After seeing Khamzat helicopter around a 300lbs DC, whoever he's fighting has to have a lot more to fall back on than just size advantage.
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u/Aardalpha 6d ago
DC wasn't defending why y'all think that was impressive fuck why am I triggered by this
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u/maicii 6d ago
And Weill lifted ngannou, this means way less than you think it does
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u/Weggestossen 6d ago
Picking up and spinning a guy from a body lock says more than lifting someone over the shoulder from near full extension, but not by much. Those are 2 of the most mechanically advantaged movements possible.
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u/Billalone This is not my bus 6d ago
Prize fighter will accept fight for lots of money, more at 11
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u/Low_Assignment7119 6d ago
24:50 of control time. Pereira will experience PTSD every time he lies down in bed.
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u/DawgNaish wtf I am not gay bro 😎 6d ago
Bro he's getting tapped in 2 mins
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u/Icy-Armour 6d ago
Lol, Pereira won't survive round 1. DDP did because of his freak strength and submission defense.
Pereira got submitted by a LW in his debut mma fight. Even though he has improved it still is nothing in front of Khamzat's offensive wrestling/bjj.
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u/DanDiCa_7 6d ago
I agree Khamzat beats Alex, but Alex losing by SUB 10 years in his first MMA fight is irrelevant now
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u/Jijster 6d ago
Would be worse than the DDP fight
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u/I3usuk 6d ago
Nah, Pereira will be open to so many submissions it’ll be a quick one.
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u/AiS9 6d ago
This is why its funny to me when people say khamzat will be an inactive champion. Every interview he says he wants money, he'll be making millions per fight ragdolling those infront of him. No way he fights once a year.
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u/commander_wong 6d ago
I mean he still might be inactive when Dana refuse to pay him what he's worth lol
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u/Extension_Arm6414 6d ago
There are always a few fighters with the pull to get paid fairly and hes one of them
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u/Spoonman007 6d ago
How do you figure? I don't think he's going to be safe to sit out and wait for a bigger payday like some of these others. His inconsistency the last several years makes him a potential liability, not to mention the mixed feelings towards him due to his performance and the company he keeps outside the cage. They'll strip him faster than others I would imagine.
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u/driatic 6d ago
He's very popular.
Idk i think honestly he wants to be an active champion, and he'll do what's necessary to get there.
Yes theres a lot of money to be made fighting twice a year but it's also the prestige he'll get back home.
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u/Spoonman007 6d ago
I really hope so. My only gripe with him is inactivity the last couple of years. Hopefully all that is sorted out and he'll get to business clearing house.
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u/karmadontcare44 6d ago
I mean the dude got absolutely destroyed by Covid for a long time, and then once he started finally being healthy he couldn’t even get into the US to fight.
It’s not like he was on the couch declining fights.
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u/lmaoinhibitor 6d ago
No MMA fighter has ever said some bullshit in an interview then not followed up on it
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u/Gerardo1917 6d ago
The last time he fought multiple times a year was 2022, it’s actually very reasonable to suspect he’ll be an inactive champion, regardless of what he says in interviews.
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u/adamalibi 6d ago
Yeah and when was the last time he wasn't dealing with some terminal disease? This guy fought on back to back weeks I can guarantee you he wants to stay active.
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u/StarWarsMonopoly 6d ago
Didn't he also have visa problems that made it hard for him to fight anywhere that wasn't UAE?
I feel like people never mention that when they talk about him being inactive
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u/GripAficionado 6d ago
Him wanting to stay active doesn't mean he will be able to, I truly hope he will be an active champ with multiple defenses, but I also fear he'll train too much and somehow get injured/sick again.
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u/prodsonz 6d ago
Two contender fights coming up already push him out to next year. Topuria probably fights in January so February at the earliest. He’ll end up fighting twice a year just like Islam. At most. Which is fine but all his talk shouldn’t be believed, especially considering his health issues
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u/GripAficionado 6d ago
The two events/locations this year where he could fight this year would be UFC Fight Night 264 in Qatar or UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. But I don't see them having their MW champion headline a fight night, nor having him as a co-main for UFC 321. Even so, I don't see it happening.
More likely he'd fight next year, especially so with the Paramount deal when PPV sales disappear and I assume UFC will focus more on getting bigger site fees.
That way they can have Chimaev fight somewhere in the Middle east and get an even bigger site fee from Qatar/Saudis/Abu Dhabi.
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u/me3r_ 6d ago
Nobody wants this fight
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u/evocater Daniel Cormier almost killed himself last week 6d ago
If I'm Khamzat, I want this fight. Easy money lol
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u/siderealpanic 6d ago
Nah, this fight is perfect. Khamzat subs him in a round without either taking much damage and they can both book another fight almost immediately
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u/drphilbangedmydad 6d ago
Alex needs to go to heavyweight win or lose. Fuck this fight. Khamzat is just going to take him down in 5 seconds
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u/DementiaDonaldTrump 6d ago
Chimaev would be charged with a crime if he fought Alex
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u/seonblack 6d ago
Pereira will get beaten by Ankalev worse than the first time. Chimaev will steamroll Pereira too.
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u/GrandMasterF1ash 5d ago
Alex retires after this fight. The 900th head tap in the 24th minute of control time will prove to be one too many
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u/Effective_Ratio3718 6d ago edited 6d ago
I'm not gonna lie, if 205 and Pereira doesn't show that his age is catching up with him against Ankalaev, and has that level of takedown defence he had against him previously, I would probably pick Pereira to beat him.
Like, okay, you are taking down DDP, whose coach has not even practiced crucifix with him, who didn't try to sprawl. Now you go against someone 20-30 lbs heavier. That actually has pretty good takedown defence and in all his fights, even when taken down, didn't allow himself to get submitted. With Pereira having better coaches, that are actually great with game planning.
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u/thedonjefron69 I was here for GOOFCON 1 6d ago
I would be curious to see this just by the in cage size difference
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u/Wolfstigma MY BALLZ WAS HOT 6d ago edited 6d ago
Pereira is huge and would have a better gameplan than DDP's.
I still think chimaev would dump him on his head, the wrestling skillset disparity is way too big to overcome in a training camp.11
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u/EliManningham 6d ago
I also think Periera has a perfect striker body, but a terrible grappler body. He has long legs and a high center of gravity. Even with good TDD technique, it might just be too easy for Khamzat to get him
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u/justakcmak 6d ago
I want to see Chimaev fight Aspinall
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u/Adventurous_Week_101 6d ago
So you hate Chimaev's guts and wanna see his career get violently cut short?
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u/Simple_Active_8170 6d ago
Matchups like this is why they should allow grounded knees or knees or kicks to counter takedowns
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u/Fedora_Million_Ankle 6d ago
Those rules were nerfed because it was in favor of the wrestlers
They control where the fight takes place so they can utilize them better than stand up guys
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u/_Dumpweed 6d ago
no those rules were implemented at the very beginning because soccer kicks / strike attacks using legs aiming for opponents head while on floor seemed too brutal at the time. nobody every thought "yo lets nerf wrestling"
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u/Sudden-Ad-307 6d ago
Ngl soccer kicks to the head are still too brutal
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u/_Dumpweed 6d ago
one could argue that if one fighter has the time and space to soccer kick an opponent, the fight was already over. So even if soccer kicks were legal, referees should usually stop fights before that scenario even plays out. That being said, Herb Dean standing on the other end of the octagon daydreaming while staring at some celebrity chick in the crowd is not the person i would want enforcing such things lol
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u/freezeice04 6d ago
It won't help counter most takedowns, but it'll certainly help in getting your face smushed in when you're on the bottom.
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u/Simple_Active_8170 6d ago
Getting kneed in the face as you attempt a takedown will definitely stun you or just ko you, it’s possible they get the knee but in a lot of cases it would help defend a takedown
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u/movingunderbraking 6d ago
i love khamzat and think he’s one of the best fighters of our era, but it’s tiring to read him say things like this in light of his significant history of weight issues and pulling out of fights. he needs to defend at least twice before he starts talking about moving divisions in my opinion.
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u/xMemoriesOfMurder 6d ago
Well he was asked about a potential fight with Pereira, it’s not like he brought the topic up himself
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u/Robinho311 6d ago
Eh... he's just responding to a question. Other champs in the last few years have literally said they refuse to fight top contenders.
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u/Toasted_Munch 6d ago
Tom Aspinall should call out Brian Shaw after he beats Gane for the super heavyweight BBMF belt so he can get in on the double champ hoopla horse shit like the rest of 'em
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u/No-Jump5689 Team Aspinall 6d ago
He's talking about moving up, not down, and someone asked him a question. He just answered it.
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u/ExxA90 6d ago
Is he going to punch Alex with 500 Rabbit punches again like against DDP?
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u/illhaveapepsinow 6d ago
No. Pereira is a career kickboxer with no ground game. He gets submitted in 30 seconds
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u/ironhide999x 6d ago
I think people forget weight classes exist lol, Pereira is massive compared to Khamzat and if the fight were to happen it’s not like Pereira would just sit there and not train. This sub said DDP would take down and sub Pereira if they fought which is just a ridiculous take
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u/Valterri_lts_James 6d ago edited 6d ago
Pereira has horrible technique and can't chain wrestle. Pereira can only defend double legs because those don't require a lot of technique and rely more on athleticism (which is why Pereira is decent at defending double legs). However, if Khamzat starts going for single legs and chain wrestling, Pereira will crumble.
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u/TotalTutor3916 6d ago
Yeah this sub also said that DDP was too big and muscular for Khamzat to take down and control and look what happened.
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u/Odd-Fuel5750 6d ago
It's one weight class, people move up all the time, khamzat is not a small middleweight and could fill out his frame a bit more
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u/Davidstoic 6d ago
No way Alex takes this lmao dude would be better of moving up to heavy weigh if he loses against Big Unk again.
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u/Sabironman86 6d ago
I will put all my money on Khamzat. There is no way Alex gonna come out from that wrestle fuck of Khamzat. No fucking way
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u/LucasFrankeRC 6d ago
I mean, it's a big fight commercially, but I doubt Dana will just let him go up a weight class to fight Pereira without defending his belt, especially if Pereira isn't even the champ
MW already has 2 contenders lined up to fight for the belt (Imavov/Borralho and RDR/Fluffy), and more will surely get in position for a title shot soon as well
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u/therealjgreens How's my english now? 6d ago
He'd be dumb to go down in weight. I'm all about super fights though. He's more likely to fight Aspinall imo.
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u/Otherwise-Comment689 6d ago
Chimaev wanted to stand and bang with DDP. Get Arman Tsarukyan outta the corner and he will be exciting again 😅😂
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u/Poiuyt5555 6d ago
After rewatching the Burns fight he was the closest to beating Chimaev. That's the gameplan has Chimaev dominated a high level BJJ guy with grappling? Pereira would get grapple fucked easily by Chimaev.
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u/Convict_felon EDDDDDIEEEEEEEE 6d ago
Alex Pereira vs Khamzat Chimaev
This would end within the first minute Khamzat wins by submission
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u/bluewafflewussy Marshall Islands 6d ago
If it made sense to hold down an opponent, this would be the time..
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u/No-Underscore_s 6d ago
Financially motivated Chimaev is our new mythical fighter