Sean O'Malley says Khamzat Chimaev will be a 'legit' UFC title contender if he beats Gilbert Burns

UFC bantamweight star ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley seemingly believes that Khamzat Chimaev would cement his place as a “legit” title contender if he defeats Gilbert Burns. In an edition of The BroMalley Show, ‘Sugar’ and his brother Daniel O’Malley discussed Chimaev’s highly-anticipated welterweight bout against Burns.

Sean O’Malley indicated that while Chimaev’s skills and performances prove that he’s a legitimate title contender, a win over an elite welterweight like Burns would help solidify the same. ‘Sugar’ stated:

“If he beats Gilbert Burns, the motherf***er’s – I mean, he’s already legit. His skill levels prove that he’s legit; the way you beat people like that. When you beat someone like that even if you’re supposed to beat them – It’s like, you didn’t beat him in a decision. You didn’t knock him out in like, the fourth round, or third round, whatever…”

O’Malley alluded to the fact that Chimaev has simply manhandled every opponent with little-to-no opposition, including UFC welterweight mainstay Li Jingliang. ‘Sugar’ emphasized that although Chimaev may have been the favorite to beat his opponents, winning as dominantly as he does is no small feat.

Khamzat Chimaev made his UFC debut in July 2020 and has amassed a 4-0 record in the organization. His professional MMA record stands at 10 wins and 0 losses. Having competed in four UFC fights, the freestyle wrestling savant has been hit just twice. ‘Borz’ boasts a strike differential of 254-2 in the UFC.

The O’Malley brothers opined that with an impressive win over Burns at UFC 273, Chimaev could likely leapfrog Leon Edwards into a title fight against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

However, UFC president Dana White recently confirmed that Usman will defend his title against Edwards next. White also claimed that a win over Burns would earn Chimaev a fight against the No. 1-ranked UFC welterweight Colby Covington next.

Watch Sean O’Malley address the Burns-Chimaev matchup in the video below:

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Vicente Luque foresees Gilbert Burns beating Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273

The No. 2-ranked UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns is scheduled to face the No. 11-ranked Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 on April 9th. Meanwhile, Burns’ good friend, the No. 4-ranked Vicente Luque, recently admitted that Chimaev is a great fighter. That said, Luque’s still picking Burns to defeat Chimaev.

Speaking to ESPN MMA, Vicente Luque explained:

“You wanna talk about a beast? You wanna talk about somebody that can go in there and really put people in danger? That's Gilbert Burns and he has shown it time and time again in the UFC. So I think people underestimate him, but that's how things go and I think he's gonna surprise everyone."