The UFC 308 tournament will take place on October 26 in Abu Dhabi. In the second most important fight of the evening, Russian fighter Khamzat Chimaev, representing the UAE, will face Australian Robert Whittaker, a real legend of the promotion. The winner will likely challenge for the middleweight title.

This will be a tough fight for Whittaker, as Chimaev is still undefeated. So experts note that Khamzat is the clear favorite. And he most often won in a dominant manner. At the same time, a fighter is unlikely to allow himself to underestimate his opponent, because he has already made such a mistake once. Then his perfect record was in jeopardy.

Unexpectedly equal fight

In April 2022, Chimaev received the right to fight the number two welterweight, Brazilian Gilbert Burns. Khamzat himself by that time occupied only 11th place, but a series of three victories in the first round made him a monster in the eyes of the fans and the promotion itself. The organization gave Chimaev, who was representing Sweden at the time, an advance on a fight with the former contender for the belt. Thus, the Brazilian became the first serious test for Khamzat in the best league in the world.

Few experts believed in Burns’ victory, predicting that he would become Khamzat’s next victim. And Chimaev himself was confident of success, clearly underestimating Gilbert.

– He’s too small. A small, frightened boy. “I’ll knock him out, he won’t last even a minute,” Chimaev said before the fight.

Contrary to predictions, the fight turned out to be equal, and Borz won only by decision, leaving the octagon with a broken face.

Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns / Photo: © James Gilbert / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Chimaev confidently took the first round, surpassing his opponent both in wrestling and in striking technique. In the debut five minutes, Khamzat even sent Burns to the floor with a magnificent jab, scoring a knockdown. However, in the second round the favorite fell. First, Gilbert shocked his opponent with an overarm punch, and then sensationally knocked Chimaev down with a side kick. The audience was shocked!

Khamzat managed to quickly recover, and in the third round, due to pressure and more hits, he looked better than his opponent. At the same time, Burns, who was significantly inferior to his opponent in size, continued to respond with the hardest blows. However, this was not enough for the Brazilian to create the main sensation of the evening. And in the end, all the judges gave the victory to Chimaev.

Having fought such a difficult fight, Borz was forced to abandon arrogant phrases and appreciate the preparation of the Brazilian fighter.

– A very tough guy. I didn’t expect him to be such a tough opponent. Respect to Gilbert,” Khamzat said.

Before the meeting with Whittaker, Chimaev behaves extremely modestly, without using big words. The Australian is in excellent shape: he has won two fights in a row, and in terms of his combination of skills he is definitely not inferior to Khamzat. Let’s see if Chimaev can get to the title fight or if he still won’t reveal his crazy potential.

Watch the live broadcast of the UFC 308 tournament on Saturday starting at 19:15 on the Match TV channel, from 17:00 on the Match! Fighter”, websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.