Daniel Cormier Fuels The Hype Train In Interview With Khamzat Chimaev

Timothy James

April 6, 2022

Former UFC Light-Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier posted an interview with Khamzat Chimaev to his YouTube channel in which the surging Chechen welterweight demonstrated why he’s so popular.

Last week, Khamzat Chimaev stated his intentions to climb a mountain of greatness never before achieved in the UFC: winning 3 belts. Such bold endeavors are nothing new to the supremely confident Chechen Sambo-fighter, who sat down for an interview with one of the UFC’s few double champs, Daniel Cormier (full interview at the end of this article).

There have been quite a few “hype trains” throughout the history of the UFC, with some living up to the hype and others getting derailed along the way. However, nothing truly compares to the explosion of popularity amongst the fanbase seen with Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev. He’s hit all the X-factors in emphatic fashion.

Not only has he utterly dominated through his first 4 UFC appearances, he’s done so in record breaking fashion. He’s only absorbed 1 significant strike – that isn’t a typo, only 1! – and has ragdolled his opponents in such dominant fashion that it isn’t only reminiscent of Khabib’s performances, it may eclipse them. For reference, Khabib absorbed 54 significant strikes through his first 4 UFC appearances.

Daniel Cormier was quick to comment on this, stating “What you have done in a short period of time has honestly been, truly, kind of unbelievable because nobody does it in that way. Nobody dominates in that way. When you started to fight in the UFC, when you made your debut, did you think it would go like this? Like, I mean…you’ve been hit two times in four fights. Did you think it would be this good?”

Khamzat’s response was a perfect example of him hitting all the right notes on the fast-track to superstardom. In addition to being utterly dominant thus far, he has otherworldly confidence in himself and his abilities. While some consider his attitude a bit too brash and perhaps arrogant for someone who’s never fought a top-5 opponent, his one-liners and bravado have been an important piece in building steam for the hype train.

Chimaev replied “of course…I just go in and smash the guy, you know…People say he talks too much, but nobody can stop me.” Which prompted DC to ask him about where the confidence comes from and whether or not Khamzat is crossing the threshold into arrogance. In his classic broken English, straight-to-the-point style, Chimaev let DC know that the results speak for themselves. And it’s hard to argue against that.

Cormier followed up with pertinent questions about Chimaev’s championship aspirations. DC stated, “you’re talking about two weight classes that have dominant champions. Guys that have won and defended against the best and most skilled guys in the world, in Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya…these are the two weight classes you compete in.”

Khamzat’s response was interesting, tempering Usman’s success and claiming that the current welterweight champion is “too old” and too injured. The Chechen Sambo-dynamo isn’t impressed with Usman’s record, bringing up the fact that he’s only been fighting guys he’s already beaten and that he’s most interested in money fights. Usman has defended his belt against Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington twice, and is targeted to defend against Leon Edwards this July, another man he’s already beaten. Khamzat’s implication was clear: he believes Kamaru Usman is afraid to fight him.

Chimaev seemed more respectful towards Israel, despite earlier comments saying that Adesanya would be an easier fight for him. He stated that he doesn’t think Israel is afraid of him and would fight him, a level of respect not usually given by Chimaev, who is used to fighters running scared. Despite believing that Adesanya would face him, he thinks his wrestling would dominate the Last Stylebender, bringing up the fact that striker Robert Whittaker was able to get Adesanya’s back.

Of course, it’s fair to say that Khamzat and his fans may be getting ahead of themselves. He will face his toughest challenge to date this Saturday at UFC 273, when he takes on the #2 ranked welterweight in the world, Gilbert Burns. Although Chimaev’s ascent to stardom has been unique for various reasons, fight fans have seen other hype trains derailed. Jumping from the 14th ranked Li Jingliang to the number two in the division is a huge leap.

Unsurprisingly, though, Khamzat doesn’t see much of a challenge. Daniel Cormier asked him straight up, “what challenges does Gilbert Burns present to Khamzat Chimaev this weekend?” The response? “Nothing, brother. I’m gonna go take his head.” When pressed on how the fight would play out, Khamzat simply stated “I’m going to take his heart and his head.”

That’s exactly the kind of beastly response you’d expect from the man known as “Borz,” which translates to wolf in Chechen. He threw some more shade on Burns for the fact that he cried after his last loss to Kamaru Usman, stating that if he lost he’d just go into the gym and come back stronger.

Building off the question of facing Burns, DC asked him if he thought he’d be ready to take the belt if he wins this Saturday. Khamzat channeled his inner Khabib in another way, replying “brother, I can take that belt today. Just send me location, where is Usman?…I’m gonna go and smash them both.”

Perhaps the most interesting moment in that response was when Khamzat claimed Dana White promised that he’d give Chimaev the title shot after the Burns fight. The UFC hasn’t been shy about hiding their desires for “Borz” to become the next superstar of the sport, though we’ve seen in the past how fickle promises from Dana White can be.

Ever the skilled interviewer, DC gave Khamzat an opportunity to show another side of him when he asked about Chimaev’s journey coming from a rough background, being able to support his family and provide a better life for them. Khamzat showed his appreciation for DC, expressing how he wants to accomplish what Cormier did in winning two belts and giving his family a better life.

Another reason why DC is such a great interviewer is his ability to interject humor into hot topics. One of the hottest storylines in the MMA world has been the budding friendship between Darren Till and Khamzat Chimaev, who have been training together for the past 6 months. Like Chimaev, Till was once a promising prospect who the UFC believed could be a superstar, though has struggled since.

“What is this Darren Till s**t?” asked a candid Daniel Cormier. “You’re like Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in Beverly Hills Cop.” Khamzat has probably gotten a lot of practice “taking the piss” with the foul-mouthed Scouser, taking it in stride and saying that he and Till are like brothers, exactly like DC and Khabib were. DC was poking fun at him, but Chimaev said it best. You need friends, too.

DC closed out the interview stating that he believes Khamzat will exceed expectations yet again, positioning himself to be catapulted into the limelight. After this Saturday, DC and MMA fans around the world will finally have the answer to whether or not Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev will live up to the hype.