Pereira won --> Khamzat becomes the LHW champ?

[MMAFanCal]

Even a 215 lbs Jan could not hold Pereira down who is arguably bigger, stronger than Khamzat. Khamzat could barely win against a 190 lbs Usman on a short notice, without prep who came from across the world to fight him. Usman won the stand up war against Khamzat. A 230 lbs wrecking machine Pereira will put a clinic on Khamzat, if Khamzat decides to come up to light heavyweight.

FYI, Strickland is fighting DDP (I predicted it right after Abu Dhabi). I don't believe it is because of his hand, but it is because Khamzat needs more time at 185 lbs to settle in the division after him struggling against a Welterweight Usman. So, no way Khamzat fights the winner of Strickland vs DDP next (if that is what you mean) unless he wants to wait for Abui Dhabi next year. He would want to fight in March in Saudi Arabia because they are going to ask for him due to the appeal in the Muslim word. That is only two months after DDP/Strickland so most likely it will be Costa he will face next. Costa has been lobbying hard for that fight and Dana might give it to him (since Dana defended Costa many times saying he had a very serious infection).

 

[AstralPanda]

You think 200-210 lb Khamzat (in the cage weight, he'd be a smaller guy no matter what) would hold a wrestling advantage over Ankalaev and Rakic? Come on man lol. He's always gonna be smaller and weaker than those guys.

I have no idea how much he would weigh at LHW. Presumably he'd try to bulk up a bit.

But he holds a substantial wrestling edge over anyone at LHW by a wide margin. The idea of these guys throwing him around is a questionable take.

It's pretty well known that Khazmat has thrown around bigger guys around in training. Jiri included.

 

[Sweater of AV]

Well, as resident idiot @SG123 has pointed out, Nate Diaz and Kevin Holland will beat Khamzat so that probably won't happen.

Holland beats Chimaev.

Nate would have beaten Khamzat.

Khamzat would have blown his gas tank with a couple of rounds at that pace

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

Gets 49-46'd by Sean and Shadow Realm'd by Alex.

 

[svmr_db]

Lol "next double champ" if he ends up fighting Strickland or DDP and can't finish them in the first round and a half he will gas out and get finished, dude clearly is a frontrunner like McGregor and doesn't have a championship level gas tank.

Anyways, let's wait to see if he can even get his hands on one belt before we say he has double champ potential lol.

 

[AstralPanda]

Lol "next double champ" if he ends up fighting Strickland or DDP and can't finish them in the first round and a half he will gas out and get finished, dude clearly is a frontrunner like McGregor and doesn't have a championship level gas tank.

Anyways, let's wait to see if he can even get his hands on one belt before we say he has double champ potential lol.

Perhaps you're just bad at assessing talent, potential and fights.

 

[MMAFanCal]

I have no idea how much he would weigh at LHW. Presumably he'd try to bulk up a bit.

But he holds a substantial wrestling edge over anyone at LHW by a wide margin. The idea of these guys throwing him around is a questionable take.

It's pretty well known that Khazmat has thrown around bigger guys around in training. Jiri included.

Those are all false propaganda by some fans. Jiri himself has spoken about it and completely disputed the claim it was 4 years ago and he was holding back 4 years ago in sparring. Also, Jiri (like most others) believe, Usman would have won if it was a 5 round fight especially with full camp and properly Usman working his weight up to middle weight. Alex is a monster who steps in the cage at 230 lbs. No way Khamzat takes him down. Even Jan could not hold him down.

 

[Xoleth]

Chimaev will fight late in 2024. Who knows who: Strickland, DDP...
And then in 2025. Who knows who will be champ then: maybe Ankalaev. And come on... Chimaev will not beat Ank.
These days Chimaev barely fights.

 

[svmr_db]

Perhaps you're just bad at assessing talent, potential and fights.

Shouldn't Khamzat have finished both Burns & Usman the way you're talking about his potential? Or do you have a laundry list of excuses why he didn't.

His most high profile finishes to date are the Li Jingliang & short notice Kevin Holland ones. You're making a bit of a leap to go from that to him cutting through top MWs and LHWs. Also "we talking about practice" lol like whatever happened in sparring with him and Jiri would translate to a real fight 100%.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of his. But it seems pretty clear he's going to drown in a 5 round fight if someone doesn't go down early. I think it's a pretty reasonable take that Usman could've beaten him if he had a full camp, and especially if the fight was at welterweight.

 

[Sweater of AV]

Perhaps you're just bad at assessing talent, potential and fights.

You can't make this thread and then throw that out at people. Let him win one belt before coming up with this stuff.

 

[Conan the K-9]

Lol, Cupcake does not even get past Costa, and fools think he will be double champ? <Lmaoo>

 

[AstralPanda]

Shouldn't Khamzat have finished both Burns & Usman the way you're talking about his potential? Or do you have a laundry list of excuses why he didn't.

His most high profile finishes to date are the Li Jingliang & short notice Kevin Holland ones. You're making a bit of a leap to go from that to him cutting through top MWs and LHWs. Also "we talking about practice" lol like whatever happened in sparring with him and Jiri would translate to a real fight 100%.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of his. But it seems pretty clear he's going to drown in a 5 round fight if someone doesn't go down early. I think it's a pretty reasonable take that Usman could've beaten him if he had a full camp, and especially if the fight was at welterweight.

There's a lot of ways you can frame those fights. A lot of layers. You've chosen to fixate only on the negative.

With the burns fight, I think he's capable of fighting a smarter, more measured, defensively responsible and technical fight. But he chose to basically throw down with Burns. Essentially fighting him where he's best, in a dog fight. Which is why his corner was screaming at him frantically.

Against Usman, I think you also have to take Into account that an opponent switch affects Khazmat as well.

If you have a full camp to prepare for Usman, you train knowing that you're up against a grinder. Someone who is going to push your cardio.

Taking/ holding down a wrestler like Usman is a very different animal than Costa.

I think that played a factor, but the issue was more energy management than cardio itself. He wasted a lot of energy controlling usman, especially that body triangle.

If it were a 5 round fight, then you'd train accordingly, train to pace yourself, knowing that you're up against a grinder who is going to make you work for every little inch.

But ultimately, the story of that fight is that he was able to take down / dominate usman on the ground. Something nobody has ever done. And he did it even in the 2nd / 3rd while tired.

Those fights can be framed in many ways. People choose the negative, that he had some issues with energy management in a short notice fight.

What he showed was incredibly impressive, especially when you consider that he's someone who hasn't hit anywhere near his potential.

It's actually a little mad how little credit he's gotten for being able to do that to someone one fight removed from being a champion.

Instead people immediately try to discredit the win with mental gymnastics.

 

[nonoob]

Champ, maybe, in whatever class he can make weight.

Double, no, get in line, no jumping.

 

[swimba]

You Khamzat nuthuggers are something else.

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

I have no idea how much he would weigh at LHW. Presumably he'd try to bulk up a bit.

But he holds a substantial wrestling edge over anyone at LHW by a wide margin. The idea of these guys throwing him around is a questionable take.

It's pretty well known that Khazmat has thrown around bigger guys around in training. Jiri included.

Ankalaev would literally grind him into the dirt lol

There's a lot of ways you can frame those fights. A lot of layers. You've chosen to fixate only on the negative.

With the burns fight, I think he's capable of fighting a smarter, more measured, defensively responsible and technical fight. But he chose to basically throw down with Burns. Essentially fighting him where he's best, in a dog fight. Which is why his corner was screaming at him frantically.

Against Usman, I think you also have to take Into account that an opponent switch affects Khazmat as well.

If you have a full camp to prepare for Usman, you train knowing that you're up against a grinder. Someone who is going to push your cardio.

Taking/ holding down a wrestler like Usman is a very different animal than Costa.

I think that played a factor, but the issue was more energy management than cardio itself. He wasted a lot of energy controlling usman, especially that body triangle.

If it were a 5 round fight, then you'd train accordingly, train to pace yourself, knowing that you're up against a grinder who is going to make you work for every little inch.

But ultimately, the story of that fight is that he was able to take down / dominate usman on the ground. Something nobody has ever done. And he did it even in the 2nd / 3rd while tired.

Those fights can be framed in many ways. People choose the negative, that he had some issues with energy management in a short notice fight.

What he showed was incredibly impressive, especially when you consider that he's someone who hasn't hit anywhere near his potential.

It's actually a little mad how little credit he's gotten for being able to do that to someone one fight removed from being a champion.

Instead people immediately try to discredit the win with mental gymnastics.

This is the most elaborate mental gymnastics cope I have ever seen in my life, and I lived through the era of the rabid BJ Penn fans on this forum.

 

[AstralPanda]

Ankalaev would literally grind him into the dirt lol

This is the most elaborate mental gymnastics cope I have ever seen in my life, and I lived through the era of the rabid BJ Penn fans on this forum.

If there's anything specifically you disagree with, then refute it.

Most analysis is just shallow

Along with being biased, emotionally influenced if the fighter is in any way polarizing.

That's why most are extremely poor judges of talent and potential.

There's countless cases of fighters who had genuine championship potential. But they were discredited every step of the way while coming up.

Fans will always find a reason.

In many cases, even after becoming champ, they will still find a reason.

This is no different.

That is the mental gymnastics.

What I'm doing is acknowledging nuance.

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

If there's anything specifically you disagree with, then refute it.

Most analysis is just shallow

Along with being biased, emotionally influenced if the fighter is in any way polarizing.

That's why most are extremely poor judges of talent and potential.

There's countless cases of fighters who had genuine championship potential. But they were discredited every step of the way while coming up.

Fans will always find a reason.

In many cases, even after becoming champ, they will still find a reason.

This is no different.

That is the mental gymnastics.

What I'm doing is acknowledging nuance.

Your arguments are as follows:
"If Khamzat fought better he woulda fought better against Burns"
"Uhhhh, Marty being a week out replacement at a weight class he's never fought at while having to moonwalk off the couch affected Khamzat, too!"
The story of those fights is that he couldn't finish either of them. You are coping as to why he didn't.
The Marty fight was essentially a draw, and Burns took him to the very edge because that's the level Khamzat will inevitably end up at.
Khamzat physically has the necessities for greatness. Mentally, he does not. He proved that fumbling the Nate fight and not giving a shit about it. Everyone hates Conor for the way he acts, but he was an actual double champ, while Khamzat think's he's hot shit for fighting once a year and prancing around with Kadyrov gifting him blood money benzes with his name on them (the #1 most probable reason the State Department won't let him into the US any time soon).
I see his talent. Talent scouting was my job for a good time. I can also see he has potential to squander that talent, especially if he locks himself out of fighting in the western hemisphere. If I had told the company I worked for "Hey, I found this kid, mega talented, looks like he's got great potential. One issue: The government called me and said they have a really big issue with the guy i'm constantly promoting pissing about with a dictator in the third world," I would have been hung up on. I also understand what differences larger weight classes will make to someone whose gameplan is "takedown and keel", which you seem to not understand, as you think that a guy that was (barely) making 170 is going to waltz into a division 35lbs heavier and just steamroll people larger than anyone he's fought who aren't just Khamzat's potential double champ status, but bloody quadruple champ status fighters?
I will bet you $10,000 he never becomes double champ.

 

[octagonation]

Even a 215 lbs Jan could not hold Pereira down who is arguably bigger, stronger than Khamzat. Khamzat could barely win against a 190 lbs Usman on a short notice, without prep who came from across the world to fight him. Usman won the stand up war against Khamzat. A 230 lbs wrecking machine Pereira will put a clinic on Khamzat, if Khamzat decides to come up to light heavyweight.

FYI, Strickland is fighting DDP (I predicted it right after Abu Dhabi). I don't believe it is because of his hand, but it is because Khamzat needs more time at 185 lbs to settle in the division after him struggling against a Welterweight Usman. So, no way Khamzat fights the winner of Strickland vs DDP next (if that is what you mean) unless he wants to wait for Abui Dhabi next year. He would want to fight in March in Saudi Arabia because they are going to ask for him due to the appeal in the Muslim word. That is only two months after DDP/Strickland so most likely it will be Costa he will face next. Costa has been lobbying hard for that fight and Dana might give it to him (since Dana defended Costa many times saying he had a very serious infection).

First he won't fight on the Saudi FN that much is settled..

Second of all he won't fight Costa heck if Dana even offered to him it would be extremely disrespectful to Chimaev which he won't do again. Chimaev lost 1-million USD in training + 6 months of his life nobody in their right minds want to hault their career and waste time and on pull merchants.. Even whittaker said he will never sign on a fight with Costa he pulled out twice on whittaker..

In a recent interview when the interviewer asked Chimaev about Costa he said the following - He has pulled out something like 5 times now he is not serious and said that his next fight is for the title and the only way him and Costa can fight again is if Costa can put some wins together and get himself a title shoot he would he happy to defend against. Chimaev feels like Costa needs to proof he can show up and put together some wins and claim the ladder..

 

[Busgosu]

lol, I don't think he'll ever be champ on any division

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

Let's see if he can get a belt at 185 first.