UFC fighter Caio Borralho has explained the grappling advantage that Khamzat Chimaev would have over Alex Pereira.
As we know, Khamzat Chimaev is one of the most imposing figures in mixed martial arts today. In his last fight, he absolutely dominated Robert Whittaker to set himself up for a shot at the UFC middleweight championship. While Dricus du Plessis may be defending against Sean Strickland next, you can bet ‘Borz’ will be hungry to face the winner.
Another possibility down the road is the idea of Khamzat Chimaev moving up to light heavyweight. If he does that, then there’s every chance he could battle it out with reigning champion Alex Pereira.
In a recent interview, Caio Borralho gave his thoughts on Khamzat’s grappling and whether or not it would work against someone like ‘Poatan’.
Caio Borralho explains Khamzat Chimaev’s advantage over Alex Pereira
“I think Khamzat would shoot right away, you know, and then we never know how it’s going to be. But I think Khamzat has the advantage in that.”
“I think he can beat DDP easily. I think very easily he can beat DDP, you know? I think Khamzat is a different story because of the grappling, but definitely Poatan is getting better at defending takedowns. He’s a big guy—a very big guy—so I think it would be hard for Khamzat to keep him down and all that.”
For Khamzat Chimaev, at this point, it’s a case of simply following through on the game plan that we’ve seen him implement time and time again. While his striking appears to be solid, his wrestling is what brought him to the dance – and it’s what is going to keep him there.
As for Alex Pereira, the likely next task for him will be defending his strap against Magomed Ankalaev.
