Khamzat Chimaev has earned a boogeyman reputation during his 14-0 MMA career.
The feared Russian fighter has ragdolled his way to a middleweight title shot at UFC 319 on Saturday night.
Khamzat Chimaev showed just how dangerous he is by obliterating Robert Whittaker’s teeth with a rear-naked choke at UFC 308 in October 2024.
However, UFC legend Brian Stann believes another fighter is MMA’s biggest boogeyman right now.
Brian Stann’s top 3 UFC boogeymen
Brian Stann has returned from an eight-year layoff to work at Du Plessis vs. Chimaev this weekend.
The fan favorite commentator was asked to name his top three ‘UFC boogeymen’ during the UFC 319 Weigh-In Show.
‘The All-American’ shockingly named lightweight champion Ilia Topuria as the UFC’s biggest bogeyman.
“Topuria is number one on my list,” Stann said. “The crazy thing is, as wealthy as he is, as successful as he is, he’s still showing up really focused and really hungry.
“Second on my list is Khamzat. You can’t have this list without him. For good reason, he’s number one on a few of your lists.
“Finally, Tom Aspinall. How can he not be on that list? Nobody wants to fight him. He’s been waiting to fight for some time now. He’s definitely the heavyweight boogeyman.”
Brian Stann predicted Khamzat Chimaev’s rise in 2017
Chimaev’s rise to UFC superstardom was predicted three years before his debut by Stann.
During a Q&A with fans ahead of UFC Fight Night: Auckland in 2017, Stann was asked if he knew of any up-and-coming fighters who deserved to compete in MMA’s premier promotion.
The former middleweight contender, who retired three years earlier, began talking about a prospect in Sweden that he had been hearing scary stories about.
“There’s a welterweight in Sweden, at Sweden MMA All-Stars, that trains Alexander Gustafsson,” Stann said.
“I don’t know his name. I just know him by reputation,” Stann said.
“He’s not in the UFC yet, but he has a whole lot of success with all of the big names that train out of MMA All-Stars in Stockholm.
“When we get this kid signed, I think he’s going to make some real waves.”
from Bloody Elbow https://ift.tt/sOJQUgq
