Ben Askren isn’t sure just how good Khamzat Chimaev is and he isn’t buying the hype quite yet.
Chimaev is set for his third UFC fight this Saturday when he battles Gerald Meerschaert. It will be Chimaev’s toughest fight to date. Yet, he is still a massive favorite but Askren isn’t so sure if the hype is real.
“The hard part about it is, we saw him twice in the UFC,” Askren said to Submission Radio (via MMAFighting). “But the first guy he fought, John Phillips, he’s 1-4 in the UFC. So, he was very unsuccessful. And the second guy he fought was a new addition to the UFC. So, he has not won a UFC fight. And so it’s like, ok, well, he definitely smashed these guys, there’s no doubt about that, but are these guys Gerald Meerschaert level competition? And the answer to that, is no, they’re definitely not. So, sometimes people can look great against guys who aren’t as good, and then when they step into a little competition, it’s a lot harder. So, I don’t really know what to expect out of Chimaev. I know Gerald is really good, he’s really tough. But yeah, I don’t know about Chimaev yet.”
If Khamzat Chimaev can beat Gerald Meerscheart the hype will no doubt be real. But, Askren isn’t ready to call him the next Khabib Nurmagomedov just yet.
