Khamzat Chimaev has all the confidence in the world that he will not only beat but smash Gilbert Burns at UFC 273.
Chimaev is getting the toughest test of his career as he faces Burns who is the second-ranked welterweight and fought for the title last year. However, the oddsmakers have Chimaev as a massive favorite as many view him as a future champion, and for the Swede, he believes he will prove that at UFC 273 as he thinks Burns is too weak for him.
“I am the champ, I am the king, I am the best ever, better than everybody. Smash everybody, nobody’s like me,” Chimaev said as he was training in a video posted to BlockAccess, his sponsor’s, YouTube channel. “They’re too slow, coach, the guys too slow, too weak, coach. I am too strong for them, too fast, coach. I have conditioning with no limit, limited edition condition, my right hand coach, broke the mountains.”
It does seem likely that Chimaev will have the strength advantage given he has bounced between welterweight and middleweight. Burns, meanwhile, is a former lightweight who has moved up to welterweight, but even with that, the Brazilian has proven to be one of the best at 170lbs.
Although Gilbert Burns has only ever lost to the champ in Usman at 170, Khamzat Chimaev is confident he will find another stoppage win. Should he get the stoppage as he expects, it’s likely he will fight for UFC gold in his next bout and back his words that he is better than everyone else.
Chimaev is 10-0 as a pro and coming off the first-round submission win over Li Jingliang. He’s 4-0 in the UFC and in those four fights he has only absorbed one significant strike in those four fights.
Do you think Khamzat Chimev will beat Gilbert Burns at UFC 273?