Promising UFC star Khamzat Chimaev once jokingly rejected Khabib Nurmagomedov comparison whilst comparing himself with Mike Tyson back in 2020, despite having issues with the boxing legend. There is a lot of hype associated with undefeated ‘Borz’, and he showed his humorous and creative side by comparing himself with the knockout artist.
Chimaev and Tyson both are known for aiming for an early finish in their fight. Thus, Tyson has had over 44 knockouts in his career and Chimaev has won four out of his six fights within the first round in the UFC.
Whilst, Tyson was a knockout artist, Chimaev is famous for his wrestling and BJJ. However, during his fight against Meerschaert, ‘Borz’ gave the fans a glimpse of his inner ‘Iron’ Mike with his performance inside the ring and then later on with his comparison.
Khamzat Chimaev made a Mike Tyson comparison rejecting Khabib Nurmagomedov
UFC fight night: Woodley vs. Covington saw Chimaev finish off Gerald Meerschaert on 19th September 2020. Moreover, Chimaev got past his opponent swiftly, taking only 17 seconds to finish off Meerschaert inside the octagon.
He’s been compared to Khabib, but @KChimaev jokes it might be time to compare him to @MikeTyson after #UFCVegas11 🥊 (via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/8grRujSTVq
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 20, 2020
Chimaev won both the fight and the hearts of the fans with a vicious knockout announcing himself on the biggest stage. However, his previous two wins were a show of grappling, and hence Chimaev was compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov. After the fight while speaking with ESPN, he laughed and claimed to be like Mike Tyson, Chimaev said:
“Now they have to say this is like Mike Tyson. ll just do my hard work, take my wins, go home, and then start again.“
Although ‘Borz’ brought back the memories of Tyson, he isn’t a huge fan of Tyson. Evidently, Chimaev refused a chance to meet and talk with the boxing legend. Moreover, he also revealed one thing that irked him about the boxing legend and why he refused to meet him.
Chimaev revealed why refused to meet Tyson
Like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Chimaev also had several issues with Tyson. However, unlike Nurmagomedov, Chimaev refused to even meet and sit down with the ‘Baddest man on the planet’. During an episode of the Hustle MMA podcast, he spoke about the differences with the boxing legend.
Chimaev said, “Ali said Mike Tyson also wants something, but I didn’t go. I didn’t have much desire to do that. As a fighter, an athlete, I really like him. But I don’t like what all happened with him – the violence, the pills, the marijuana, then Muslims. It’s strange. But I still respect him. Both as a fighter and as a person… I don’t judge anyone, but I just didn’t want to go.”
Nurmagomedov also shared the dislike of Tyson due to his usage of Marijuana. Although weed is now legalized in many areas of the world, the stigma surrounding the herb still prevails around the world.
That’s why even athletes using the drug are often facing criticism and even legal consequences. However, it doesn’t take anything away from Tyson, as Chimaev didn’t shy away from making a comparison with the boxer.
