“Which person needs to speak again and again about this four-year-old information? When we meet next time, in the cage, I will show you my true power. I won’t take it lightly anymore. Don’t talk about others too much. Love yourself more.” Jiri Prochazka said in a fury of rage when Khamzat Chimaev revealed that he had choked ‘BJP’ during a training session back in 2023, just before his return against Alex Pereira at UFC 295. Turns out, ‘Borz’ still hasn’t quite dropped that habit, as he recently made Caio Borralho the latest target of his humiliating training leaks.
Chimaev was expecting a middleweight title clash with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 317. But after 185lbs kingpin reportedly (via Kevin Iole) pulled out with an injury, Chimaev vented on X: “This guy biggest bul—it.” Borralho, the dark horse of the Fighting Nerds, jumped in and called for an interim title bout during International Week. The Brazilian took to his socials and wrote: “Khamzat said yes! The only thing that makes sense is the Interim belt!” This is when Chimaev fired back: “If we fight hundred times, you will never win.” Not backing down, Borralho responded: “If you say so, sign the contract and we will see!” With official news yet to arrive from Dana White, this online heat might just turn into fireworks in the cage.
But the animosity didn’t end there! Chimaev went digging and pulled out some old ‘Shark Tank’ training footage from when he and Borralho worked together at the UFC Performance Institute ahead of UFC 279. At the time, the undefeated juggernaut was gearing up to fight Nate Diaz while Borralho was prepping for Makhmud Muradov at UFC 280. ‘Borz’ didn’t stop at the video—he even posted a pic of him sinking in a rear-naked choke on Borralho, just to rub it in a little more. And as expected, the post stirred things up fast. As expected, veterans, including Michael Bisping, have chimed in. The former champ, who’s no stranger to sharing gym stories himself, especially with Luke Rockhold, couldn’t help but leave Chimaev a message.
‘The Count’ took to his YouTube channel and said, “Right now, everyone has a camera in their hands. Anytime these fighters go at it, the cameras come out and get caught on video. And people start talking s–t okay! You shouldn’t tap and tell! What goes in the training room should stay in the dressing room. And you might think, I’m full of s–t for saying that, because I talked about Luke Rockhold when he sparred, and that kinda started the whole rivalry back in the day. And of course, me and Luke these days are good. But, listen, it is what it is, you know. Don’t do as I do, do as I say. What goes in the gym should stay in the gym.”
MMA: UFC 279-Chimaev vs Holland, Sep 10, 2022 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Khamzat Chimaev red gloves fights Kevin Holland blue gloves during UFC 279 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports, 10.09.2022 20:53:50, 19026314, NPStrans, T-Mobile Arena, Holland, Kevin Holland, MMA, TopPic PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJoexCamporealex 19026314
So, the story Bisping’s talking about goes back to when he first fought Luke Rockhold at UFC Fight Night 55. Before the fight, Bisping claimed he had already gotten the better of Rockhold in a sparring session that ended up being talked about everywhere. At first, he kept it cool, saying he didn’t want to bring up sparring. But then, he couldn’t resist and hit back with, “Let’s just say I’m the unofficial Strikeforce champion.” That one line stirred the pot big time and became a major part of the buildup to their fight.
Also, very recently, Kevin Lee had his moment when a clip of him getting knocked out with a knee at Kill Cliff went around. Robbie Lawler, the former UFC welterweight champ, was even seen helping him up. ‘The Motown Phenom’ was furious when he regained consciousness. He later took to X, saying he wanted to find out who leaked the tape. And it’s not just him! Ian Garry, who’s also fighting this weekend against Carlos Prates, faced a wave of backlash when footage of him landing clean right hands on Shavkat Rakhmonov during a training session got released, long before they officially met at UFC 310.
As we get closer to International Fight Week, the excitement has cooled off a bit since the superfight we were all expecting isn’t happening anymore. People aren’t exactly buzzing about the interim bout between Khamzat and Caio either, mainly because the fight lacks that big star power. But every problem has a solution. And when it comes to MMA-related issues? Look no further than Chael Sonnen’s expert take.
Chael Sonnen reveals the alternative to Khamzat Chimaev vs. Caio Borralho interim fight
We all know Chael Sonnen’s stance on interim championships. He doesn’t deny their importance. But like many of us, he thinks they can sometimes feel a bit arbitrary in the UFC. ‘The Bad Guy’ is also not convinced that an interim title main event does much for the bigger picture. Instead, he’s suggesting a potential title eliminator between Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho at UFC 317. He believes that this could bring a lot more heat to the card.
Sonnen, in his YouTube video, said, “Imavov vs Caio Borallho makes a lot of sense. And I don’t know if I’m strong enough to tell you they would break that up for an interim title fight to headline one of the most important weekends of the years. I like and believe in Caio! I like and I believe in Khamzat. And I don’t know that I like and believe. Not truly. I could say it to be nice. I don’t know that I like Caio and Khamzat to headline such an important weekend.”
‘The Bad Guy’ had a good idea. But too bad, Imavov has already decided to be patient before he takes the next step. Championship Rounds pulled up a video on X of Imavov training, in which he said, “He’ll get KOed. He’ll sleep. Then they’re gonna say, ‘It’s normal. He was [ranked] #1, you see. That’s their way of managing their careers. Falling forwards. It’s better to fall forwards than backwards. So wait your turn.”
Clearly, things are a little bit tricky with him for fighting at the International Fight Week. But, how do you think the June 28th card will turn out among all of this confusion? Please comment your thoughts below.
The post “You Shouldn’t Tap & Tell” – UFC Legend Confronts Khamzat Chimaev on Leaking Caio Borralho Grappling Footage appeared first on EssentiallySports.
