As Khamzat Chimaev prepares to defend his middleweight title for the first time against Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328, one of his former training partners believes the division currently lacks a serious threat to his reign.
Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) is scheduled to step into the Octagon at Prudential Center on May 9, where he’ll face Strickland (30-7 MMA, 17-7 UFC) in a highly anticipated title bout. But according to former UFC middleweight Darren Till, the unbeaten champion may be a level above the rest of the division.
Speaking recently with MMA Full Mount, Till weighed in on whether anyone at 185 pounds has what it takes to defeat Chimaev.
“Anyone's beatable. Obviously he knows that himself, that's why he trains so hard. He's not stupid,” Till said. “Right now, with the current state of the middleweight division, I don't see anyone maybe beating him. Maybe Sean's probably got the best chance, if that. But in this era now, no. I think he's going to be too dominant for them.”
Till, who has previously cornered Chimaev, pointed to a few potential matchups but remained unconvinced that any would truly threaten the champion’s dominance.
“I don't see any middleweights. Paulo Costa's a good fight because Paulo is big and strong. I do like that fight as well. I know there's a big beef there,” Till said. “I think for me, the fight that waters my mouth the most is the Sean Strickland fight and obviously we’re getting that now, but I don’t see many coming close to him in this era now.”
With Chimaev set to make his first title defense, the upcoming matchup against Strickland could go a long way in determining whether the division truly has a contender capable of challenging his dominance.
