Chimaev takes on former undisputed champion Robert Whittaker in the co-main event in Abu Dhabi and, after putting his battles with his health behind him, the Chechen-born Swedish star says he’s ready to go out and produce a full-throttle performance – for all five rounds, if necessary.
Speaking to the media ahead of fight night in the UAE, Chimaev said people haven’t given him a fair shake in their assessment of his cardio in prior matchups, given the challenges he faced in those matchups.
“Everyone talks about my conditioning, but nobody’s see what I’ve done with these guys (in my camp), you know?
“I always fight. I’m not that guy who is jumping around and trying to save my ‘gas station.’ So I go always ‘all in,’ you know?
“I like to go and finish somebody. I try to finish the guys. If it doesn’t work, I’m gonna go (the) distance. Doesn’t matter, man. I’m here just to win my fight.”
Chimaev’s bout with Whittaker may not be a title fight, but it has been elevated to a five-round matchup. It means that, if he can’t get Whittaker out of there inside the first three rounds, he’ll get pushed to the limit by a fighter whose cardio is beyond reproach.
But Chimaev explained that his conditioning is on point and he’s ready to go the full 25 minutes, if needed, in his quest for victory on Saturday night.
“I’ve been pushing from first second to last second on my sparring, but I don’t think it will be different in the cage here.
“I didn’t say anything about my health before the Usman fight. Everyone thinks Khamzat went into that cage healthy. I wasn’t that. I was sick in the morning before that fight.
“I don’t find excuses, I don’t cry. I had a short, short notice. I jumped in, short notice for my fight, you know?
“We are fighters, we do not need to find some excuses. If I lose, I lose the fight. I’ll just shut up and go home.”
The fact the bout has been booked as a five-round contest hints that it could potentially be setting up the winner for a shot at the undisputed middleweight title currently held by South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis.
“I hope so, but they said that before as well when I beat Gilbert Burns,” he said.
“(That was) a long time, some two or three years ago. I didn’t (get) my chance after that. After that, (I fought) Usman. I beat Usman and I didn’t get the title. But we’ll see.”
