Khamzat Chimaev in for a rude awakening if he moves up to light heavyweight, says former champion: "He is very hittable"

A former UFC champion recently provided Khamzat Chimaev with a reality check about moving to light heavyweight. He detailed how the No.3-ranked middleweight might find it hard to deal with the power of regular 205-pounders.

In his latest fight at UFC 308, ‘Borz’ secured an impressive first-round submission win over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Chimaev's performance made his case to receive the next 185-pound title shot, which currently is in Dricus du Plessis' control.

However, Jamahal Hill recently predicted a dim future for the Chechen-born fighter at light heavyweight. In an interview with Home Of Fight, the former UFC light heavyweight champion cited Chimaev's lack of strike-defending skills as a major downside if he fights at a division higher:

"The thing is, [Chimaev] is very hittable. And getting cracked by 205-ers is not the same as getting cracked by welterweights or 185-ers… It’s all about how he responds to getting hit at those higher weight classes… If he can put on some muscle, he can get up to that and handle himself at that weight class [light heavyweight]. But I don’t think he’ll be able to manhandle guys like he has been doing in the smaller weight classes."

Check out Jamahal Hill's comments below (20:40):

Chimaev made his debut in the UFC at middleweight. After picking up five consecutive victories (three at 170 pounds), he missed weight by a massive 7.5 pounds for his UFC 279 welterweight fight against Nate Diaz. This weight miss coupled with his previous weight cutting complications forced a permanent move to middleweight.

After a slightly lackluster victory against Kamaru Usman, 'Borz' made a terrific comeback with the win over Whittaker.

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Another former UFC champ viewed Dricus du Plessis as a tricky challenge for Khamzat Chimaev

Despite Khamzat Chimaev's impressive performances to date, former UFC champ-champ Henry Cejudo recently opined that 'Borz' might have to work harder for a victory against Dricus du Plessis.

Cejudo appeared in a recent episode of the HJR podcast where he counted du Plessis' "scrambly" style and cardio as troubling factors for Chimaev in their potential fight. 'Triple C' said:

"Khamzat can beat anybody in the world in about a round. But I don't see that against 'DDP'. 'DDP's' scrambly, man. I was super impressed with what he did to Robert Whittaker, but I just feel like you're gonna need to really be able to pace yourself for five rounds, and with 'DDP's' train just continuing to keep rolling and he's still steaming and his train's still hot, I don't see it, man."

Check out Henry Cejudo's comments below (2:36):