Aljamain Sterling thinks Khamzat Chimaev is a bad matchup for Colby Covington.
Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) remained unbeaten when he ran through Kevin Holland for a first-round submission this past Saturday at UFC 279. Sterling thinks “Borz” is a shoe-in to eventually become a UFC champion, but with newly crowned welterweight champ Leon Edwards expected to face Kamaru Usman in a trilogy bout next, Chimaev will likely have to fight one more time before he earns a title shot.
If it’s at welterweight, former interim champ Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) seems to be perfect, and it’s a matchup Dana White has pitched in the past. But Sterling doesn’t think Covington will take that fight.
“It seems like he just wants to take the top-name guys – and he’s smart,” Sterling said of Covington on his YouTube channel. “Why is he going to take on a young killer like Khamzat? It’s a tough fight for him stylistically because it’s a bigger wrestler, and even though Colby is a really good wrestler, he’s fighting almost a mirror image of himself – except the guy with really good submission skills.”
Two fighters Sterling thinks could make it interesting for Chimaev are Belal Muhammad and Sean Brady, who are scheduled to fight at UFC 280 on Oct. 22.
“When I look through the rankings, I see a guy like Belal Muhammad who may not be the strongest grappler, but he’s a strong-built dude who uses a grinding style to press you against the cage to neutralize your position, beat you up with knees, and if he can get the submission, he’ll get the submission,” Sterling said. “He’s a strong, shredded dude. Then you’ve got Sean Brady – more or less the same thing, but except he’s more of a (Brazilian jiu-jitsu) specialist, in my personal opinion.
“I think it’s going to take a guy, or should I say style, like that for Chimaev to run into that’s going to be his equal. Maybe (Kamaru) Usman – I think he can thwart some of that off. But then I think if he gets Usman down, how does Usman get back to his feet?”
