Khamzat Chimaev has been warned by former opponent Gilbert Burns to not go down the same path as Conor McGregor after his recent success.
Chimaev is one of the UFC's most popular fighters and has captured the attention of fans ever since his debut in the promotion two years ago. The Chechen was given his toughest test to date in Burns last month, but outpointed the Brazilian in a back and forth fight.
The fight boosted Chimaev's popularity even more and he now boasts almost four million followers on Instagram. Burns has told 'Borz' that there are two ways to deal with his success, warning him to not go down the path that McGregor has.
"If [Chimaev] continues on a good path, it's because there are many variables. Imagine the best guy in this scenario, with the guy doing the right job, training and focused. That guy will get better," Burns told Canal Encrada.
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"There's also the Conor McGregor effect happening to him, when the guy suddenly blows up with lots of followers, sponsorship and money. That will have an effect too and the guy will kind of go the other way. Just like I've seen it already kind of happening."
McGregor's rise in the UFC was like no other, becoming the first fighter to hold two belts simultaneously in the promotion. In recent years, the Irishman has been involved in frequent legal troubles and has struggled to emulate the performances he had at the start of his UFC career.
Burns thinks Chimaev should be careful with the people he surrounds himself with, labelling some of his current entourage as "idiots". The pair bumped into each other twice before their fight at UFC 273 and Burns quickly picked up on the "bootlickers" in Chimaev's team.
"I met him twice before the fight. Once in recording and then once after the weigh-in," Burns continued. "There was no camera. The guy was talking bull**** there, he said to me 'Now we've done the weigh-in. Now the fight will happen... There's nowhere to run for you now.'
"I just said I'll run right through you. But he said that thinking people would laugh. I think he already has so many idiots around him, so many bootlickers that he says some things that aren't funny and the guys laugh."
Chimaev is ranked at No.3 in the welterweight division after his win over Burns. The Chechen has called out champion Kamaru Usman for his next fight, but he is pencilled in to fight Leon Edwards later this year.
