When Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev joined forces to corner teammate Guram Kutateladze, the whole MMA community was taken aback. They wondered how these two UFC stars knew each other and what their connection was. Well, it seems like Chimaev and Topuria aren’t really new friends because they’ve known each other for quite some time, and ‘Borz’ gave us an insight into their history during a recent interview.
The lightweight and middleweight title contenders have one thing in common in terms of their professional careers, and that’s the fact that they both competed in Brave Combat Federation, based in Bahrain. It was then that the duo met up with each other and even trained together. It was then that Khamzat Chimaev realized that Ilia Topuria was destined to achieve great things, and that is exactly what the Georgian-Spaniard did.
“Of course [I knew he would be a star], even then, he was already a top fighter in Brave FC. Just like me, we both fought in Brave,” Khamzat Chimaev told Adam Zubayraev. “It was clear that he was a hard worker who wants to achieve something, and he achieved everything that you can in this sport.” (Translated by Red Corner MMA)
Thereafter, Khamzat Chimaev addressed a different aspect about Ilia Topuria, his so called ‘cocky’ personality. Recently, ‘El Matador’, following Dana White‘s announcement that he’ll be fighting Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317, made a rather distasteful remark about Islam Makhachev. Topuria claims. “It’s unfortunate that Makhachev ran away,” the former featherweight champion stated after Makhachev’s decision to fight Jack Della Maddalena.
Well, this isn’t the only remark Ilia Topuria’s made about Islam Makhachev. A few months ago, the Alicante-based fighter also downplayed the Dagestani wrestling style. His comments and attitude often rub people the wrong way, but Khamzat Chimaev claims it is essential for a fighter to generate interest in their fights in the mixed martial arts sphere. That’s just one of those tactics, but other than that, ‘Borz’ had nothing but pleasant words about his fellow UFC star.
“If fighters were quiet, there would be no such interest (in MMA),” Khamzat Chimaev added. “In regular life, I’ve met him, spent some time together, ate together. He’s a decent, solid guy.”
Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria may have gotten his title shot as Dana White promised him, but he hasn’t stopped talking about Islam Makhachev’s decision to fight for the welterweight title. In fact, the former featherweight champion made a bold statement when he claimed that the Dagestan native never wanted it in the first place. Here’s what he had to say.
Islam Makhachev did not want to fight Ilia Topuria, according to ex-champ
During a recent press conference, Ilia Topuria ripped into Islam Makhachev, calling him a “hypocrite.” He mentioned how the soon-to-be former lightweight champion is following the same blueprint that ‘El Matador’ has been following, with a quest to become a double champion. But the fact that Makhachev rejected a smaller guy and now he’s stepping into the same shoes irks Topuria more than ever.
“He said he didn’t want to give me the opportunity because I was the little guy, and now the little guy is the one looking for the same opportunity I was looking for. How are you going to criticize my decision when you’re doing the same thing right now? I’ve never seen more hypocrisy in my life,” Topuria stated. He further called out Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, asking him to “thank” him for not fighting the Dagestan native because he could have lowered his stocks if Makhachev had lost that fight.
“He still has value, and some credibility is thanks to me. This was the fight everyone wanted to see.” Claiming that Makhachev never wanted to fight him, Ilia Topuria added, “I was ready for it, I put everything I could on the table, and they ran away, and from the beginning, they never, ever accepted the fight.” Well, it’s only a matter of time before we see who comes out on top when they fight in their respective title matchups.
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The post Khamzat Chimaev Unfazed by Attack on Islam Makhachev Despite Ilia Topuria’s Scathing Remarks appeared first on EssentiallySports.
