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Khamzat Chimaev recently took part in an ESPN MMA interview with Brett Okamoto, during which he named one other UFC fighter he regards as a special talent besides Jon Jones, who is widely considered to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
When prompted by Okamoto to name anyone he considers a special fighter, Chimaev openly admitted that there are several talented fighters on the roster. However, he singled out one former champion he holds in high esteem.
"Yeah, of course. There's a lot of guys has a lot of special things, you know? Max Holloway is one of the guys from special. He also never give up, you know? Like always going. But nobody can throw out so many punches like him, you know? That's special, so, some guys only punch like 50 times and he have 500 times."
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Check out Khamzat Chimaev's praise for Max Holloway below (1:11):
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'Borz', in particular, referenced Holloway's high-volume fighting style and record-breaking significant strike differentials with his opponents. The Hawaiian is well-known for his bottomless gas tank, which he uses to overwhelm his opponents, in addition to building off of the jab with his patented combinations.
Brian Ortega is one of the most notable examples of an opponent who 'Blessed' completely drowned, as is Calvin Kattar. However, despite his skills, the legendary Hawaiian has struggled to overcome Alexander Volkanovski at featherweight, losing to 'The Great' thrice, with his last loss being the most lopsided.
Chimaev, by contrast, is a finisher who overwhelms his opponents early with his aggression and tenacity, as opposed to relying on tireless cardio to drag his foes into deep waters.
Has Khamzat Chimaev beaten a ranked middleweight?
Khamzat Chimaev currently occupies the No.9 spot in the middleweight rankings. However, he defeated Kamaru Usman, the ex-UFC welterweight champion, to do so. Furthermore, Usman faced him on short notice. And as it turns out, Chimaev has no wins over anyone ranked in the top 15 at 185 pounds.
Thus far, 'Borz' has had three middleweight fights in the UFC. Usman, a welterweight who is unranked at 185 pounds, was one of his opponents. His two other foes were John Phillips and Gerald Meerschaert, neither of whom are ranked in the top 15.
