Khamzast Chimaev has buzzed the MMA world big time since arriving in the UFC this past summer. But, the man who is going to face him next, Leon Edwards, is confident he’s going to derail the rising fighter’s hype train.
Edwards says Chimaev is “not on my level”
Chimaev made UFC history this past July by becoming the first fighter in the promotion’s history to win two bouts, in just ten days. Then the Chechen born, Swedish fighter dropped jaws once again by taking out Gerald Meerschaert in just 17 seconds in September.
As a result of what he’s shown in the Octagon so far, Dana White made it clear he wanted to push Chimaev, big time. Accordingly, the 9-0 fighter has been booked to fight the top welterweight contender, Edwards, in the headliner of the UFC’s December 19th card.
Not everyone believes, however, that Chimaev has been thoroughly vetted yet in the Octagon. Case in point, when Edwards was recently asked if he thinks all the hype tied to Chimaev is warranted, he said this (quote via MMA Junkie).
“Nah (the hype isn’t justified),” Edwards said. “From what I’ve seen in his fights, his wrestling tournaments, I just feel the level they’ve given him is made for him to win.
I truly believe it’s going to be a shock to him when he gets in there with me. …
They’ve done it before time and again, right? They try to build these guys up, and they get one good win, two good wins and then they push them straight to the top.
They don’t give them time to build their career and learn stuff. We can name many times Dana White’s come out and been like, ‘This is the next guy.’
Then they get pushed up the rankings and beat straight away. He’s not on my level, and I’ll go out and show it.”
And the 29-year-old Edwards, who is riding an eight-fight winning streak, also said this.
“I’ve been where he’s at,” Edwards said. “I had an eight-second knockout before in the UFC. I’ve had the latest stoppage before in the UFC.
I’ve done this already. I’ve done this, and I know how it feels. He’s full of confidence, and it’s all going his way.
Let’s see when it’s not going his way what happens then.
“It’s hard to judge him. His competition, skill-level wise, is so low. It’s hard to judge how good this guy is.
So I went back, and I watched all his old fights, and it was the same thing. All the competition they give him is just random people.”
We shall see
So, Edwards’ comments here are pretty interesting. While Chimaev has showcased a nasty top game and heavy hands, it is true that we haven’t seen how he does against a top contender.
That will change on December 19th. Edwards is currently ranked #3 in the UFC’s welterweight division.
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