UFC veteran Jorge Masvidal has openly expressed his strong disapproval of reigning middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev’s grappling-centric fighting style. The former BMF titleholder suggests that Chimaev’s consistent reliance on holding opponents down stems from a fear of engaging in striking exchanges.
Chimaev secured the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 319 last year by defeating Dricus du Plessis. Throughout the five-round contest, “Borz” predominantly utilized his superior wrestling, maintaining control over the South African for more than 21 minutes, landing 12 takedowns, and accumulating a total of 529 strikes (though only 37 were significant).
Despite the dominant performance that led to his title win, many spectators, including Masvidal, found Chimaev’s wrestling-heavy approach to be less than thrilling.
Masvidal Criticizes Chimaev’s Style
During a recent discussion, Masvidal sharply criticized Chimaev’s strategy. “Gamebred” acknowledged Chimaev’s undeniable wrestling prowess but argued it doesn’t equate to “fighting” in its truest sense. Masvidal asserted that Chimaev often pins opponents down without actively seeking to advance position or finish the fight, instead seemingly just running down the clock.
“Just sit there and sniff crotches. You have a chance to strike, but you’re just holding the guy down because you’re scared they’re going to get away. Yeah, you’re a better wrestler, but that’s not fighting.”
Chimaev is set to make his first middleweight title defense at UFC 328 against former training partner and now rival, Sean Strickland.
Masvidal believes Strickland will present a significantly different challenge compared to du Plessis. He suggested that “Tarzan” will be far more difficult to control and keep on the mat, predicting that Strickland will exhaust Chimaev and test him comprehensively in all aspects of the fight.
“Strickland might be the first guy that challenges Chimaev in that realm. Even if Chimaev gets a takedown, he’s going to have to work even harder to hold Strickland down.”
Adding to the commentary, fellow fighter Joe Pyfer also voiced his preference for a Sean Strickland victory and expressed concerns over Chimaev’s inconsistent activity in the octagon.
