Khamzat Chimaev’s Coach Expects Chimaev vs. Burns to Be One of ‘Best Fights of UFC History’

Everyone and their brother is excited for the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight matchup between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns.

Chimaev will be taking on vaunted grappler Gilbert Burns on the main card of UFC 273 in Florida on April 9. Chimaev is considered to be a huge betting favorite in this contest, and a welterweight title opportunity may be on the line. “Finfou” Alan do Nascimento, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach of Chimaev and a black belt from the notorious Checkmat academy, spoke with Sherdog this week about the upcoming fight of his student.

“As I told you a few months ago, the only problem a coach has with Khamzat is convincing him to train less,” Nascimento reiterated. “If you don’t control him, he trains all day long.”

Chimaev is not the only fighter involved in this serious training, as he has found a new comrade-in-arms in England’s Darren Till. Together, the two have worked a great deal to improve their skills.

“Definitely, it was a great partnership [between Chimaev and Till],” “Finfou” stated. “At the same time they look like children in the daily routine, they are very professional by the training time and help each other a lot. I truly hope McGregor accepts the invitation to come to train with us.”

Nascimento spoke with Sherdog shortly after Chimaev’s impressive win over Jingliang Li, where he celebrated his student’s victory and pointed to possible matchups. Of note, “Finfou” pointed to Burns as the most difficult matchup for Chimaev in the division, other than champion Kamaru Usman. Finfou revealed that this was a tactic to get a fight scheduled.

“After that interview, many people came to complain with me, but today I can recognize that was a tactic to get my fighter facing the best ranked opponent,” Nascimento admitted. “But of course, the numbers prove that Burns is really one of the most dangerous guys in the division.”

According to the BJJ master, even though Chimaev only holds a blue belt in the discipline, the Swede is ready for anything that Burns will throw at him.

“This is MMA,” the coach noted. “I have many high level jiu-jitsu guys in Sweden who came to help me with sparring. I have no doubt Chimaev is prepared wherever the fight goes.”

While unquestionably confident for his fighter, Nascimento was reluctant to point to how the fight will end. With “Durinho” an admittedly dangerous foe, Nascimento could only say one thing with certainty.

“Mindset will be decisive in that combat. The one who is better prepared to deal with frustration will win. The only certainty I have is that fans will see one of the best fights of UFC history,” “Finfou” concluded.