"Khamzat gases like a balloon" - Fans argue whether Kamaru Usman proved he would destroy Khabib Nurmagomedov with UFC 294 performance

Following Kamaru Usman's spirited performance against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, fans took to social media to speculate how Khabib Nurmagomedov would fare against 'The Nigerian Nightmare' had he moved up to welterweight.

Usman, who lost a majority decision, pushed Chimaev to his limits after taking the fight on short notice. Towards the end of the fight, it looked like 'Borz' was fading and Usman was gaining momentum, leading many to speculate that Usman would have taken home the W if the fight was a five-round affair.

One user @FonzoMMA was so impressed by Usman that they tweeted:

"Fair to say we learned that Usman would’ve beat the brakes off Khabib if he moved up"

Check out the tweet here:

This sparked debate among fans, who took to the post to voice their opinions. @kakarot9911 replied, saying:

"No chance...not a fan of any of these but khabib wd maul him. Usman got beat by khamzat and easily controlled....khamzat gases like a balloon. Khabib wd dominate and with usman take him in standup too. Gotta give cred where its due...khabib was one of the best grapplers ever"

@hugoadame01 added:

"Based on Usman fighting Khamzat? The latter is a completely different fighter than Khabib lol"

@Argonaut92 backed Usman, saying:

"full camp Usman beats Chimaev at 185 too"

@LammiSharif, meanwhile, called the claim "ridiculous," saying:

"Ridiculous claim. Khamzat was never the level of grappler Khabib is. People forget that Khamzat started learning submission grappling (Jiu Jutsu) well into his 20s. He didn’t grow up with sambo, judo like Khabib and the others. He’s a freestyle wrestler."

Meanwhile, @john17173248 credited Khabib Nurmagomedov's relentless pressure and cardio as being the differentiator, saying:

"Khabib can do what Khamzat did in the 1st round for all rounds tho. That’s the thing about khabib like he said so what you stuff on TD I shoot 20-30 TD."

@bp77hydro, on the other hand, took note of Khamzat Chimaev's injury to his hand and said that if it hadn't have happened, the fight would have played out differently:

"Disagree, if Chimaev didn’t mess up his hand this fight would have gone differently. The difference between his punches in this fight versus burns was alarming"

Check out some of the comments here:

Fans speculate how Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Kamaru Usman would play out

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Khabib Nurmagomedov labels Islam Makhachev 'best fighter in the world' post-UFC 294 win

'The Eagle' took to Instagram to express his opinion that Islam Makhachev, who is fresh of his stunning win over Alexander Volkanovski, is the "best fighter in the world."

Posting an image of Makhachev shushing the crowd after finishing Volkanovski, accompanied by a lengthy caption, Khabib said:

"Best fighter in the world today Love you Brother and congratulations @islam_makhachev"

He also detailed the reasons for his absence in Makachev's corner, adding:

"If you guys ask me where have I been? Why wasn’t I in the corner, I already answered this question, I don’t go to fights, I don’t go to the corner and I completely left everything related to MMA. I ask you to accept my decision the same way as my brothers, friends and sparring partners did. What our team achieved will forever be in the history of MMA."

Check out the post here: