Sean Strickland’s coach, Eric Nicksick, lately shared his insights on a tactical method that might be key to conquering Khamzat Chimaev in a struggle.
Chimaev is poised to make his extremely anticipated return in a five-round middleweight showdown in opposition to Robert Whittaker, serving because the co-main occasion of UFC 308, scheduled for October 26 on the Etihad Enviornment in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Initially, each fighters had been slated to headline UFC Combat Night time in Saudi Arabia on June 22. Nevertheless, simply weeks earlier than the showdown, “Borz” was pressured to withdraw because of an undisclosed sickness. In a last-minute effort to save lots of the primary occasion, Ikram Aliskerov stepped up on quick discover. Whittaker made fast work of Aliskerov, delivering a knockout victory in beneath two minutes.
The undefeated Chechen has earned a formidable status for his relentless and dominating combating model. Nevertheless, prior to now two years, Chimaev’s momentum has been hampered by numerous setbacks, with sickness being the first issue behind his decreased exercise.
Chimaev made his long-awaited return to the Octagon after a 13-month hiatus, squaring off in opposition to former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 final October. He dominated the primary spherical with a robust begin, however the struggle rapidly grew to become intense as Usman staged a spirited comeback, turning the following two rounds right into a fiercely aggressive contest. Regardless of the back-and-forth battle, Chimaev in the end secured a majority choice victory.
Nicksick believes that if “The Reaper” can climate Chimaev’s explosive onslaught within the first two rounds, he’ll current the hardest problem “Borz” has ever encountered within the Octagon…
Nicksick Suggests Chimaev May Falter If Pushed To ‘Deep Waters’ in Later Rounds
Throughout a latest interview with Crimson Nook MMA, Nicksick offered his evaluation of the showdown between Whittaker and Chimaev. The revered MMA coach heaped reward on Whittaker, hailing him as one of many all-time greats within the middleweight division, and voiced his confidence that the previous champion has the potential to ship the hardest check Chimaev has ever confronted in his profession.
“I imply, it’s an ideal struggle. , I feel Rob has been considerably neglected in his previous few fights, particularly with the way in which he acquired beat by Dricus [Du Plessis],” Nicksick mentioned. “Then he comes again the way in which he has. Robert Whittaker, I feel, would have been a champion for a very long time if it hadn’t been for Israel Adesanya. It’s like there’s all the time somebody’s Kryptonite that comes into play… That is the matchup we have to see from each fighters to see how good Khamzat really is. Would you be shocked if Khamzat blew by Robert Whittaker? No, you wouldn’t. Would you be shocked if Whittaker blew by Khamzat? No, you wouldn’t. So that is simply a kind of fights the place you actually wish to see how good Khamzat actually is.”
Nicksick additional famous that Chimaev has but to face the rigorous check of a five-round bout. He highlighted that “Borz” struggled to take care of his intense stress in earlier fights in opposition to Usman and Gilbert Burns, suggesting that his cardio points might be detrimental in a protracted contest.
“I feel the tempo; I feel anyone that may drag it into deep waters that we noticed with Usman, that we noticed in a three-rounder with Gilbert Burns, proper? In a five-rounder, it’s all the time going to be the query mark due to Khamzat’s model of all the time attempting to complete fights and get guys out of there immediately. Can that be his Kryptonite? Is a man who’s sturdy, who can final, get by rounds one and two, after which the place does Khamzat fare within the deeper rounds? That’s the query mark. We haven’t seen the unknown—that’s all we’re asking, and the way properly he does in these conditions.”
