Khamzat Chimaev names the toughest fighter he’s ever fought ahead of UFC 273

Khamzat Chimaev has dismissed claims that his UFC 273 opponent Gilbert Burns is the toughest fighter he has ever faced.

This Saturday night at UFC 273, Chimaev (10-0 MMA) will attempt to grow his legend when he steps into the cage with the former title challenger in Burns (20-4 MMA). ‘Borz’ has had a meteoric rise in the promotion, with many fans and pundits touting him as a future two-division champion.

Although many people view ‘Durinho’ as being Khamzat Chimaev’s toughest test to date, the undefeated Swede says otherwise. According to ‘Borz’, his stiffest competition came in the form of his former Brave FC opponent Ikram Aliskerov.

“I think one guy I met in Brave, Ikram Aliskerov,” Chimaev said of his toughest opponent at the UFC 273 media day. “He has to be in the UFC. That guy’s good. I think he won five fights after me. That guy’s really good.”

Khamzat Chimaev and Ikram Aliskerov squared off at Brave CF 23 in April 2019, with ‘Borz’ emerging victorious by way of a brutal first round knockout (see that here).

Despite the definitive outcome in their fight, Chimaev obviously holds the former Sambo World Champion in high regard.

Aliskerov (12-1 MMA) has indeed gone 4-0 since suffering his crushing loss to ‘Borz’. The 29-year-old Dagestani fighter is coming off a unanimous decision win over Nah-Shon Burrell in his latest effort at Eagle FC 46. Prior to that he had reeled off three straight finishes under the Brave FC banner.

Back to Khamzat Chimaev, the undefeated star will likely be in prime position for a title shot should he defeat Gilbert Burns on Saturday night. Should that fight not present itself, Chimaev has also expressed interest in throwing down with Colby Covington.

What do you think has been the most impressive win of Chimaev’s career thus far?