Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov shared his thoughts on Khamzat Chimaev's fight against Sean Strickland. He emphasized that Chimaev should have prepared more tactically for this bout and considered various scenarios in advance.
According to Khabib, a professional MMA fighter should not limit himself to just one plan before entering the octagon. If the fight goes differently, the opponent acts unexpectedly, or the main plan fails, backup options must be ready.
"Khamzat should have considered all scenarios. What if it goes like this, what if it goes differently, what if we attack from this side? A professional MMA fighter must account for everything," said Nurmagomedov.
Khabib also spoke about his own fight plan during his career. He stated that for him personally, the plan was very simple: take the opponent to the ground and gain dominance there. If the first attempt didn't work, he would try again and again.
"Personally, it wasn't hard for me to create a fight plan. I always had one option — take the opponent to the ground! If it works — good, if not, I would try a hundred more times," said the former champion.
According to Nurmagomedov's critique, Chimaev did not show enough of that determination and commitment to the plan in some of his fights. He cited the bouts against Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman as examples. Khabib believes that after failing to implement his wrestling in the early rounds, Khamzat was forced to fight primarily on his feet in the later rounds.
This means that Chimaev's strongest weapon, his wrestling, was not fully utilized. Khabib is focusing on this aspect: if you have a primary advantage, you shouldn't abandon it even if the opponent stops it.
The former champion said he told Chimaev about this a year ago. However, in the fight against Sean Strickland, Khamzat made the same tactical mistake.
"I told him about this a year ago. However, in the clash against Sean, Chimaev made the same tactical mistake," Nurmagomedov said on the HUSTLE SHOW podcast.
Khabib's thoughts are quite interesting for MMA fans. Throughout his career, he became an undefeated champion precisely through tactical discipline, pressure on the ground, and strict adherence to the plan. Therefore, his criticism of Chimaev is not just an opinion, but an analysis based on vast experience.
In short, Khabib openly stated Chimaev's problem: he has a powerful weapon, but he needs to use it to the end. In MMA, it's not just character that fights, but the plan as well. If Khamzat draws the right conclusions from this lesson in future bouts, he could become an even more dangerous opponent.
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