UFC middleweight makes startling admission about betting on Khamzat Chimaev against his future opponents

Khamzat Chimaev's dominant win over Dricus du Plessis has prompted a perennial middleweight contender to reconsider prior doubts he had about the Chechen-born Emirati's abilities.

Speaking to Home of Fight, UFC middleweight Gerald Meerschaert proclaimed that he'll never again pick against Chimaev. In the lead-up to UFC 319, however, 'GM3' was doubtful of 'Borz's' chances against du Plessis, primarily because the wrestling extraordinaire has had a few close calls against seasoned welterweights.

Two of the biggest blemishes of Chimaev's career have been his decision wins against Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns, fights many in the MMA community believe he actually lost.

However, following UFC 319, Meerschaert believes that 'Borz's' closely contested bouts with Usman and Burns are less a reflection of Chimaev's shortcomings and more a testament to the elite grappling ability of his opponents:

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

"I'll be honest, I was surprised. I thought DDP was going to surprise a lot of people... Honestly, it was nothing against Chimaev, it's like okay I've seen you have issues with welterweights, maybe that just speaks to how good the grappling of [Kamaru] Usman and Gilbert Burns are."

The 37-year-old is now convinced that no one on the UFC roster stands a chance to beat Chimaev:

"You can't pick against Chimaev ever again. I can't see a scenario where Chimaev would fight someone and I'd pick against him, unless it's an actual heavyweight, and even then I'd probably still pick Chimaev."

Check out Gerald Meerschaert's comments on Khamzat Chimaev below:

---

Khamzat Chimaev's daring callout declined by Alex Pereira

Khamzat Chimaev has his heart set on fighting Alex Pereira. 'Poatan', however, doesn't seem interested in entertaining the match-up.

After the Brazilian reclaimed the light-heavyweight gold at UFC 320, 'Borz' took to X to congratulate the fighter, before calling him out for a fight. Pereira, on the other hand, is intent on bagging a super fight at heavyweight, and politely declined Chimaev's call out during the post-fight presser:

"Thanks for congratulating me, but all I want is a super fight. I want to fight at heavyweight, but all I can say is thank you."

Nevertheless, the Russian has no plans to back down. In a subsequent social media post, 'Borz' stated that he'd be ready to move up to heavyweight to make the fight happen.

Edited by Ujwal Jain