UFC president Dana White has hit out at UFC fans who have played down Khamzat Chimaev’s victory over Gilbert Burns.
Chimaev entered UFC 273 as the most-hyped prospect in the mixed martial arts promotion, unbeaten at 10-0 with 10 stoppage wins. The Russian-born Swede had also remarkably absorbed just one significant strike in his four UFC bouts before taking on Burns, leading many fans to predict that Chimaev would run through the Brazilian.
Others, however, were more sceptical, noting that Chimaev’s previous win was his first against a top-15 opponent in the UFC, while Burns is ranked second at welterweight and previously challenged for the title.
Chimaev, 28, ultimately outpointed Burns in a fight of the year contender in which both men were dropped and taken down. Some fans claimed that Chimaev had been exposed in Saturday’s bout, but White was quick to hit back.
“Well, he’s human,” White said at the post-fight press conference. “He’s a human being and he just beat the No 2 welterweight in the world with a couple of fights in the UFC.
“If you don’t think he’s the real deal, you’re out of your mind.
“[UFC middleweight Darren] Till keeps telling me: ‘This guy never gets tired, he never runs out of energy.’ But you can’t train in a gym for what happened tonight. You can’t.
“I’m sure this week he’s had a ton of pressure on him, a lot of anxiety, who knows how well he slept last night? [There’s] all the things that go into the buzz and energy, and I’m sure there was a huge adrenalin dump after that first round. This is s*** you can’t train for, and you either make it through it or you don’t. He made it through with flying colours.”
White has suggested that a fight against No 1 welterweight Colby Covington, a two-time title challenger and former interim champion, could be next for Chimaev.
White also praised the atmosphere at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena during Chimaev’s clash with Burns in Jacksonville, Florida, saying: “It’s one of the best fights I’ve ever seen, it’s one of the coolest fights I’ve ever been to.
“The place was so loud, and people were going crazy. That fight was eclipsing the co-main and main event all week. Think about this: When is the last time you saw a guy come out of nowhere, nobody knows who he is, then fights a couple fights and then fights the No 2-ranked guy in the world and wins?
“When you get into the top five in the UFC, it’s no joke, man. Especially in that division. That division is straight killers. Tonight was a big test for [Chimaev] and he passed.”
