“He’s always the champion,” Khamzat Chimaev reflects on the impact of Alexander Gustafsson’s legacy on Swedish MMA
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Alexander Gustafsson- Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev might be on the way to becoming the first UFC champion out of Sweden, but he cannot keep walking closer to the title shot without crediting the first ever UFC title challenger from Sweden. Chimaev last fought at UFC 273 in a 3-round welterweight war against Gilbert Burns which turned out to be one of the greatest fights ever in the 170 lbs history. Chimaev is now moving ahead to fight UFC megastar Nate Diaz on September 10, 2022, at UFC 279 in his first ever 5-round main event inside the UFC Octagon.
This past weekend saw the return of Chimaev’s training partner and former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson at UFC London. Unfortunately, Gustafsson lost in the opening round knockout to Nikita Krylov. This was Gustafsson’s first fight in nearly two years. Gustafsson however remains the pioneering face of MMA in Sweden who turned out to be a role model for the Swedish talent coming across the UFC and other big promotions now, which includes Khamzat Chimaev.
Khamzat Chimaev says if not for Alexander Gustafsson, maybe he wouldn’t have been in MMA
In an interview with Ariel Helwani of the MMA Hour, Chimaev talks about his upcoming fight with Nate Diaz, his hesitation on the belief that Diaz will show up for the fight, his thoughts on Shavkat Rakhmonov and much more. Sadly, Chimaev also reacted to the knockout loss of his teammate in Gustafsson at UFC London.
“It feels bad, really bad,” says Chimaev “That guy is so nice guy, he helped us a lot you know because the fighter I am, maybe if Alex [was not] living in Sweden by being that good fighter, I wouldn’t have started MMA or showed up for the UFC. All the guys from Sweden who are fighters you know, they thank Alex. Because of Alex, we’re on the top… from Sweden five-six guys are in the UFC and before Alex, there was almost nobody. When he fought Jon Jones, everyone’s like become crazy and started training in MMA. He [Gustafsson] is the boss, he is always the champ,” Chimaev concluded
What do you make of Chimaev’s words about Gustafsson? Do you agree with the amount of credit Chimaev has given Gustafsson for the growth of MMA in Sweden? Where will you put Gustafsson amongst the greatest non-champion UFC fighters? Do you think Gustafsson should return to the Octagon now? Who would be the opponent if he returns? In his prime, Gustafsson had wins over the likes of Glover Teixeira, Jan Blachowicz, Jimi Manuwa, Mauricio Rua and many more.
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Abhai Singh Tanwar
(1386 Articles Published)